An anti-terrorism operation at a house in Russia's North Caucasus region killed at least eight people on Thursday, officials said, reported dpa.
Security forces surrounded the residence in Nalchik, capital of the Kabardino-Balkaria republic, before exchanging fire with the militants inside, according to the Interfax news agency. Two of the victims were women.
Clashes between police and Islamic radicals seeking to establish an independent state are common in the Caucasus, which includes the former war-torn republic of Chechnya.