Twelve militants were killed early Sunday in a special operation conducted in Russia's North Caucasus republic of Chechnya, said republic leader Ramzan Kadyrov.

Two police officers also died in the operation in the Tsentaroi village of Kurchaloyevsky district, said Kadyrov.

Among the wounded were two officers, four civilians including two minors, he added.

"Currently servicemen and police are scouring the nearby forest. The situation is stable and controllable," said Kadyrov as quoted by the RIA Novosti news agency, who was born in the Tsentaroi village.

Russia's mainly Muslim North Caucasus republics of Chechnya, Dagestan and Ingushetia saw increase in violence for the last week with media reporting on a new attack almost every day.