Moscow
Reuters
–
Three police officers were killed and at least four were injured when gunmen fired on police in the Dagestan area of southern Russia, local authorities said.
Dagestan leader Sergei Melikov said the shooting took place when a traffic officer tried to pull a car the assailants were driving.
The attack occurred around 2pm local time in the region’s capital, Makachalalla, the Interior Ministry said.
Two shooters were killed, a city administration spokesman wrote in Telegram. He identified them by name and said they were both born in 2000.
It was not immediately clear how many shooters were involved. The other assailants fled in their cars, state media reported.
Videos published on the Telegram channel and verified by Reuters showed multiple bodies lying on the streets of the city next to the police vehicle. More gunshots can be heard in the street as passersby stop to inspect them.
Several civilians, including two other shooters, two police officers, two police officers, including a 17-year-old girl, and a 17-year-old girl, were brought to the hospital, according to state media. Authorities have opened criminal cases on the case.
Dagestan, a predominantly Muslim region, has suffered from several deadly attacks in recent years.
In March, counterterrorism forces killed four militants from the Islamic State (ISIS), who said authorities were planning to attack regional branches of the Ministry of Home Affairs.
