Three policeman were killed and eight others were injured in a shootout in Russia's North Caucasus republic of Ingushetia in what authorities said was a counter-terrorist operation, Russian news agencies reported Thursday.
Ingushetia is a majority-Muslim republic in Russia's North Caucasus bordering Chechnya. While such clashes with authorities used to be relatively common in the early 2000s, they have become rare in recent years.
"During a shootout with a gang hiding in a private house in the village of Zyazikov-Yurt, three policemen were killed and eight more were injured," Russian news agencies cited law enforcement sources as saying.
They added that a "counter-terrorist operation" in the area was continuing.
According to Russian media, during the operation police had tried to detain the group but they opened fire.
Last week, authorities reported that a police post on the border of Ingushetia and neighbouring North Ossetia had been shot at and that two policemen were injured.
The North Caucasus was a hotbed of Islamic extremism after the breakup of the Soviet Union, including two separatist wars in Chechnya.