GROZNY, October 2 (RIA Novosti) - Seven militants have been killed in the mountains of Chechnya during a special operation lead by President Ramzan Kadyrov, the republic's interior minister said on Friday.

"In the evening [Thursday] near the village of Benoi Nozhai special operations were started where seven members of an armed group were killed," Lt. Gen. Ruslan Alkhanov told RIA Novosti.

Alkhanov said Kadyrov was heading the special operation and was in the area while the search for the around 10 remaining members of the group continued.

He said information on the militant group was received and analyzed before the group was surrounded in the mountains. He added that no Interior Ministry personnel had been injured in the operations.

Russia's North Caucasus republics of Chechnya, Dagestan, Ingushetia and Karachayevo-Circassia have seen an upsurge of militant violence of late, with frequent attacks on police and officials.