Unknown gunmen armed with grenade launchers opened fire on a police headquarters in Russia's North Caucasus republic of Ingushetia in the early hours of Saturday, a local police source said.
"About 00:05am [21:05 GMT Friday] several shots were made at the building of a Nazran police headquarters from underbarrel grenade launchers. Police officials opened retaliatory fire, but the criminals managed to escape," the source said.
No one was hurt in the shooting, but the police headquarters building was damaged.
Nazran, where the accident took place, is the republic's former capital and its largest city with the population of about 140,000 people.
Russia has been fighting militants in the mainly Muslim North Caucasus republics, especially Chechnya, Dagestan and Ingushetia. The republics have seen an upsurge of militant violence lately, with frequent attacks on police and officials.
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.
ROSTOV-ON-DON, May 15 (RIA Novosti)