Moscow, Dec 12 (IANS/EFE): Russian security forces have killed five suspected Islamist militants in the Republic of Dagestan in the North Caucasus region, the Russian National Anti-Terrorism Committee said in a statement released Friday.

The committee said that a group of Islamists had taken an unspecified number of women and children hostage in Gurbuki, a village in eastern Dagestan.

Police surrounded the house where the captors were holed up after residents were evacuated from the vicinity, and managed to persuade the militants to free their hostages.

The militants then opened fire on the troops and were killed in the exchange of gunfire, the committee said.

There were no casualties among civilians or the police, the statement added.

The North Caucasus region, which comprises seven Russian republics, including Dagestan, has been the scene of frequent terrorist attacks and armed clashes between security forces and Islamist groups.