NAZRAN, July 9 (RIA Novosti) - Three people were killed and one injured when gunmen attacked a village in the southern Russian republic of Ingushetia, a local Interior Ministry official said on Wednesday.

He said gunmen killed two serving police officers and a retired policeman, and injured an elderly villager in the Sunzha District of Ingushetia, which borders troubled Chechnya.

"At about 10:15 p.m. local time (18:15 GMT), a group of around 10 gunmen attacked the village of Muzhichi," the official said. "Eyewitnesses said they had come from Chechnya and spoke Chechen."

He said the gunmen had retreated to Chechnya after the attack. "While retreating, they fired at a police checkpoint from Chechnya," he said.

An unknown number of militants are still active in Chechnya, where separatists fought two wars with federal troops since 1994. They periodically carry out raids on neighboring North Caucasus regions.