Police in the Russian region of Ingushetia say they have killed three suspected militants in a shootout.
Ingushetia's Interior Ministry said the shooting started Thursday when police tried to arrest the suspected fighters at a house in the village of Sagopshi.
Ingushetia is next to Chechnya, which was devastated by years of fighting between Russian forces and separatist militants. Although Chechnya has been comparatively quiet in recent years, violence has spiked in Ingushetia.
The violence is believed to be both inspired by the Chechen insurgency and connected to local criminal groups.