国际英语新闻：Chechen leader confirms death of North Caucasus gang head

MOSCOW, June 11 (Xinhua) -- The leader of one of Russia's North Caucasus republics confirmed to media Friday that one of the militants killed in an operation a day earlier was notorious gang chief Yasir Amarat.

At least eight militants were killed during a special operation conducted Thursday in the mountainous areas of southern Chechnya. On Friday, the body of Amarat was found by security forces, said Chechen leader Ramzan Kadyrov.

Russian media said Amarat, a Jordanian native, was a contracted soldier suspected of carrying out a number of military crimes against Chechen military men and local civilians.

Amarat had been wanted for many years for committing crimes against the republic’s law enforcement forces.

Earlier, Kadyrov blamed Amarat and another militant, known as Mokhannad for a number of suicide bomb attacks in 2009.

Kadyrov vowed to continue the month-long campaign against insurgents, targeting another two major leaders.

Violence is common in Russia's mainly Muslim North Caucasus republics, especially Chechnya, Dagestan and Ingushetia, with militants frequently targeting police and officials as representatives of Russian authorities.

Moscow recently made economic improvements in the region to prevent locals from joining terrorists. The Kremlin has vowed to tackle the problems of unemployment, clan rivalry and corruption in the region, which are viewed as the reasons for violence there.