Also, Russia's state television reported that six people were arrested in a village near Stavropol on suspicion of preparing an armed raid on the town of Mineralnye vody.
Russian officials say the unrest in Neftekum claimed the lives of seven police officers and 12 militants.
The area, which borders Chechnya and Daghestan, is home to a large ethnic Nogai community. Authorities say many young Nogais are fighting Russian troops in Chechnya.
(polit.ru, Russia's First Channel, ITAR-TASS, newsru.com)
The Chechnya Conflict
The aftermath of a December 2002 Chechen resistance attack on the main government building in Grozny (epa)