Policemen killed five armed men in Russia's region of Dagestan early today in a fresh clash between militants and security forces in the turbulent North Caucasus, Russian television reported.
Yesterday, security forces in the nearby region of Ingushetia killed four militants, including a rebel leader.
The shootout in Dagestan broke out near the town of Khasavyurt after policemen tried to stop a car without number plates. The five passengers in the car fired on the police, Vesti-24 channel said.
"The police returned fire, killing all five in the car," it said. "Three rebels have already been identified."
Relative calm has been restored in neighbouring Chechnya where federal troops have fought two wars against pro-independence rebels since the mid-1990s.
But violence regularly spills over into the mainly Muslim regions of Ingushetia and Dagestan where tough official methods, deep-rooted corruption and poverty push many young people to join the rebels.
Reuters