MOSCOW, January 30. /TASS/. Three militants have been killed during a special operation in Chechnya’s town of Shali, the website of the Chechen government said citing Ramzan Kadyrov. During the firefight, two law enforcement officers suffered deadly wounds.

"Police officers tried to stop a group of suspicious individuals approaching a check post in the town center but in response to the policemen’s request to show their IDs, they opened fire and threw a grenade. Police sergeant Ali Muslimkhanov and patrol guard service officer Islam Yakhadzhiyev, who came to visit his family from Grozny, suffered deadly wounds… Immediate steps were taken to eliminate the militants," the Chechen government said in a statement.

According to Chechnya’s head, the militants have already been identified. "They are Shali residents Yunus Mukayev, Sidik Dargayev and Beshto Emediyev. Two of them were on the federal wanted list, the third one was on the police wanted list. The group is believed to have been directed by Shali native Magomed Rashidov who has been a member of the Iblis State (the Islamic State terror group outlawed in Russia) for three years, recruiting young people via Internet and ordering them to kill officials and religious leaders," Kadyrov elaborated.

He also said that during the special operation, two local residents were wounded. Kadyrov added that the situation in Shali had returned to normal. He offered his condolences to the families and friends of the departed law enforcement officers. "All the necessary assistance will be provided to their families," Kadyrov stressed.

On January 16, over 60 militants affiliated with the Islamic State were detained in Chechnya. "Over 60 people suspected of being involved in the IS activities were detained in the Kurchaloyevsky and Shalinsky Districts as well as in Grozny and several other settlements in Chechnya," a local law enforcement source told TASS.