BISHKEK -- A gunman suspected of terrorism has been killed by police and security forces in Kyrgyzstan's northern Chui Province, the Interior Ministry said on May 17.
According to the ministry, the man, whose identity was not disclosed, was killed during an operation conducted by special units of the Interior Ministry and the State Committee for National Security in the village of Dmitrievka located in the Issyk-Ata district, near the Kyrgyz-Kazakh border.
"The suspect actively resisted detention. He as was liquidated by the officers of special units of the Interior Ministry and the State Committee for National Security (UKMK)," the statement said, without giving more details on what happened at the site, where top officials of the Interior Ministry and the UKMK are currently investigating the incident.
The secretary of the Kyrgyz Security Council, Marat Imankulov, told RFE/RL that the situation in the village was "stable" following the incident, without giving further details about the operation.
The Health Ministry said two law enforcement officers were wounded during the special operation, one of whom was hospitalized with a gunshot wound in his pelvis.
The Spiritual Directorate of Kyrgyzstan's Muslims said the special operation took place near the building of a local Islamic school for girls and the village administration offices, adding that all of the students were safe.
Special operations by security forces against alleged terrorists are very rare in the Central Asian country.
At the same time, hundreds of Kyrgyz citizens have reportedly joined the Islamic State and other extemist organizations in Syria and Iraq in recent years.
In 2016, amid reports that Kyrgyz citizens were joining the terrorist groups in the Middle East, Kyrgyz lawmakers approved legislation allowing the authorities to deprive those convicted of terrorism of their citizenship.
Kyrgyzstan is a mostly Muslim-populated country of 7 million people.