Ingush militants surrounded in village house

Law enforcement officers have blocked off a group of gunmen in a house on the outskirts of the village of Sredniye Achaluki in the Malgobek district of Ingushetia, and there is a firefight, a law-enforcement source told RIA Novosti on Thursday.

"Federal Security Service officers and a temporary operational group surrounded a private house in Sredniye Achaluki, where militants are supposedly hiding. There is a shootout. The operation began at approximately 3:40 pm Moscow time," the news agency’s source said by telephone.

He said there was as yet no information about the number of gunmen and any casualties on either side.