At least six suspected militants were killed during a police sweep in the volatile southern Russian republic of Ingushetia, a police official said on Tuesday.
The fierce fighting erupted earlier on Tuesday in Ingushetia's Nazran district, when a group of heavily armed militants were holed up in several houses and refused to surrender.
"The operation is still underway. According to preliminary reports, six militants were killed and another six were detained," the official said.
According to police, the militants were involved in recent attacks on law enforcement officials, and planted bombs near police headquarters in Ingushetia.
Russia's mainly Muslim North Caucasus republics, especially Chechnya, Dagestan and Ingushetia, 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.
Moscow announced an end to its decade-long antiterrorism campaign against separatists in Chechnya in April 2009, but has since had to step up the fight against militants as skirmishes and attacks on police and other officials have continued.
ROSTOV-ON-DON, March 2 (RIA Novosti)
