15 killed in North Caucasus violence

Six policemen and nine militants have been killed in separate shootings in Russia’s violence-plagued North Caucasus, police said today.

Regional police spokesman Vyacheslav Gasanov said four policemen were killed and three wounded in Kostek village in the province of Dagestan during a siege that left five militants dead.

Police found weapons and explosives in the apartment where the rebels were hiding, he said.

In a separate incident, four gunmen were killed after they refused police orders to pull over and opened fire on the officers, Mr Gasanov said.

Two police died in further attacks – one in Dagestan and another in the nearby Kabardino-Balkaria province.

The North Caucasus has seen an increase in violence in the last year, mostly attributed to Islamist separatist militants.