Policeman killed in Dagestan fighting

MAKHACHKALA, Russia, June 27 (UPI) -- A policeman was killed Wednesday in a clash with militants in Dagestan, a republic within Russia, the Dagestan Interior Ministry said.

The area, technically a federal subject, or republic, bordering the Caspian Sea in the North Caucasus region, has been the site of frequent ethnic tension since the dissolution of the Soviet Union. The incident occurred when local police and security services were conducting a search as part of a counter-terrorist operation, the Russian non-governmental news agency Interfax reported.

The ministry identified the casualty as police Sgt. David Kusayev, and the Russian Investigative Committee's Dagestan department confirmed the death.