Three police officers were killed and eight injured in a shootout with armed gang members in Ingushetia on Thursday, the third attack on law enforcement officials in Russia’s North Caucasus over the past week, state media reported.
Authorities in the Republic of Ingushetia said that the shootout came as law enforcement was conducting an ongoing anti-terrorist operation to apprehend suspects in recent armed attacks.
Gunfire broke out while officers were checking homes in the village of Zyazikov-Yurt, where the gang was thought to be hiding, according to Telegram channel Baza, which is known to have connections with Russian security services.
Videos posted online showed armed nighttime clashes in a residential neighborhood with repeated gunshots audible.
The body of a 26-year-old suspected gunman was reportedly found beside a firearm.
According to Interfax, the dead man is thought to have been connected to a March 27 assault on a traffic police post in Ingushetia, as well as a Monday attack on law enforcement officials in the region.
Ingushetia, a majority-Muslim republic bordering Chechnya in Russia’s North Caucasus, has seen frequent attacks on law enforcement by militants in the region.