Police in Russia's North Caucasus region of Daghestan have killed three gunmen in a shoot-out.
Police says the gunmen were killed after they opened fire at police officers in the central city of Kizilyurt on December 16.
No police casualties were reported.
Also on December 16, unknown armed assailants reportedly attacked a firefighting crew in Daghestan's southeastern Derbent district, injuring three firefighters.
The North Caucasus Emergency Ministry says two of the injured firefighters were seriously wounded.
Daghestan is beset by deadly violence linked to an Islamist insurgency that is rooted in two post-Soviet separatist wars in neighboring Chechnya.
Organized crime, business turf wars, political disputes, and clan rivalry also contribute to the bloodshed.
Moderate Muslims, journalists, police, and government officials are regularly targeted in attacks.