Moscow, Jan. 27 (Reuters): Russian troops stormed an apartment block and killed seven suspected Islamic militants today, ending a three-day siege in Nalchik, a town in the Caucasus region close to Chechnya.

Four of the fighters were women, an interior ministry spokesman said. ?All the women were part of the gang and took an active role in shooting at law enforcement personnel during the special operation,? the spokesman said.

Tass news agency reported that the militants had tried to shoot at a passenger aircraft from the local airport, forcing the cancellation of all flights for the duration of the siege. Tass said the windows of the building faced the airport, and witnesses had observed an attempt to shoot at a plane. The violent climax to the stand-off which began on Tuesday was at least the fourth shootout with suspected Islamic rebels this month.