Six police officers have been killed and 12 have been wounded after gunmen opened fire in a series of shootings in Russia’s Dagestan region, its interior ministry says.

The attacks targeted a synagogue and an Orthodox church in Derbent as well as a police post in Makhachkala.

A priest was also killed in the attacks, according to reports.

Two of the gunmen have reportedly been shot dead.

A counter-terrorist operation is ongoing to search for gunmen in Makhachkala and Derbent, Russia’s national anti-terrorist committee said in a statement.

“Unidentified people fired at a synagogue and a church with automatic weapons,” Reuters reported the interior ministry said.

The synagogue and church were both set on fire, added the ministry.

Derbent is home to an ancient Jewish community in the South Caucasus and a UNESCO world heritage site.

The attackers then reportedly fled in a car.

There was later an exchange of gunfire at a police post in Makhachkala, about 125km (75 miles) to the north along the Caspian Sea coast, Reuters added.

Dagestan is a mainly Muslim region in southern Russia.

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