All the five were gunned down after they opened fire on the police who were trying to stop their vehicles at check posts, the ministry said.

In the neighbouring republic of Daghestan, five more militants were killed Sunday, adding to an already bloody death toll in the region, the interior ministry of the republic reported.

According to officials, the suspects opened fire on policemen who tried to stop their car, forcing the policemen to respond and shot them all dead.

--RIA Novosti

skp/vt