Two suspected Islamic insurgents killed in North Caucasus region

MAKHACHKALA, Russia, May 24 (UPI) -- Police in Russia's North Caucasus republic of Dagestan killed two suspected Islamic militants after a clash that injured four officers, officials said.

"A police squad was patrolling streets in the town of Khasavyurt on Thursday and stopped two suspicious men, who then opened fire and threw a grenade at policemen," a Russian Interior Ministry spokesman said. "The suspects were pursued and killed on the outskirts of the town."

Islamic insurgents, once confined to Chechnya, have spread across the North Caucasus region in recent years, RIA Novosti said. There are regular attacks reported in Dagestan, Ingushetia and Kabardino-Balkaria.