Militant killed in Russian gunfight

MAKHACHKALA, Russia, Sept. 21 (UPI) -- Russian police said a militant leader in the North Caucuses republic of Dagestan was gunned down after he opened fire on officers.

Zaur Sheikhmagomedov, whose age was not reported, was killed by police in a gunfight in the Dagestan capital Makhachkala, RIA Novosti said Saturday.

The area has been beset by violence due to ethnic, religious and political rivalries, and has been home to a militant Islamist insurgency fueled by the separatist movement in neighboring Chechnya, RIA Novosti said.