A militant leader in Russia's North Caucasus republic of Dagestan was killed in a police operation on Saturday, the republic's deputy interior minister said.

"The militant, killed in a special operation in Dagestan's Karabudakhkent district, has been identified as Dzhamalutdin Dzhavatov, the leader of the Karamakhin terrorist group," Magomed Ismailov said.

Ismailov said Dzhavatov was behind the attack on a police patrol on June 24, in which two police officers were killed.

Sporadic terrorist attacks and militant clashes are common in Russia's mainly Muslim North Caucasus republics, especially Chechnya, Dagestan and Ingushetia.

The Kremlin has pledged to wage "a ruthless fight" against militant groups but also acknowledged a need to tackle unemployment, organized crime, clan rivalry and corruption as causes of the ongoing violence in the region.

Russia has been fighting militants in the North Caucasus for over a decade, including two separatist wars in Chechnya.

MAKHACHKALA, June 26 (RIA Novosti)