MOSCOW: Two militants were killed and a third blew himself up in an attempt to attack a police station in southern Russia on Monday, police said, adding that no police officers or civilians were hurt.

The identity of the militants who attacked the police station in the town of Novoselitskoye in the Stavropol region was not yet clear. Russian news reports said explosions set off by the militants damaged the station and vehicles parked outside.

The Stavropol region is close to the North Caucasus, where an Islamic insurgency has simmered for years. In Dagestan, the centre of the insurgency, many of the bombings and attacks have targeted police and other officials.

Dagestan also has proved to be a fertile recruiting ground for the Islamic State group, with hundreds estimated to have traveled to Syria to join IS forces there.

Schools and day care centers In Novoselitskoye were evacuated, as well as the local hospital, with the exception of 14 seriously ill patients and medical personnel. In a possible indication that law enforcement agencies fear more attacks, security was stepped up at schools, day care centers and hospitals in the Stavropol region, the Interfax news agency reported, citing the governor.