The town of Malgobek some 30 miles northwest of the republic\'s capital Magas was declared a counter-terrorism operation zone on Wednesday. The counterterrorism operation began 5:00 a.m. Moscow time on Wednesday [1:00 a.m. GMT] after police were informed that \"armed militants, suspected of grave crimes in Ingushetia and North Caucasus, are hiding in the area,\" the local Federal Security Service (FSB) department said in a statement. The area is cordoned off by law enforcers, and vehicles and individuals are being searched.