MOSCOW, July 5 (Reuters) - Unidentified gunmen opened fire on several policemen on Saturday in Russia's southern region of Ingushetia, killing one and wounding four, Russian media reported.

The police officers were shot in Ingushetia's Malgobek district, some 45 km from the capital Magas.

"During an attempt to detain them (the gunmen), they escaped into a forest. Their pursuit has been organised," Interfax quoted the Ingushetia Interior Ministry as saying. Russian forces have been combating a growing insurgency in mainly Muslim Ingushetia. The region borders Chechnya, where a pro-Kremlin local commander has dampened a rebellion Russia has been fighting since 1994.

Violence flares up almost daily in Ingushetia, where insurgents have killed officials and civilians and also attacked military convoys. (Writing by Amie Ferris-Rotman; Editing by Matthew Jones)

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