Security forces in Russia’s North Caucasus Republic of Kabardino-Balkaria have killed three suspected militants.
The Russian Interior Ministry’s press service says the three were killed on March 12 when security forces fired on two cars because the drivers did not respond to demands for identification documents.
Deadly exchanges of gunfire at road checkpoints are common in Russia’s North Caucasus.
Violence between Islamic militants and police in the region leaves scores of people dead and injured each year.
The region’s most violence-plagued republics include Kabardino-Balkaria, Daghestan, Ingushetia, and Chechnya.