Seven dead in attack on Russian police post in the North Caucasus

Moscow:  An attack on a police checkpoint in Russia's North Caucasus has left two officers and five gunmen dead, authorities said on Monday.

The militants approached the post in the Karachay-Cherkessia region on Sunday night, leading to the deadly shoot-out, the region's Interior Ministry said.

In addition, two police officers were killed, and four other officers were injured.

The multi-ethnic region in the North Caucasus sees frequent bloody clashes between criminal gangs or militant Islamists and the security forces.

The authorities said that the same attackers who struck on Sunday were responsible for an attack on a police checkpoint that killed two officers on April 22.

In the latest incident, they were also said to have had explosive devices on them.