NAZRAN, Ingushetia — An armored personnel carrier smashed into a police checkpoint in Ingushetia, injuring three policemen, an official said Wednesday.

The incident occurred Tuesday in the town of Nizhny Alkun in Ingushetia, a region that federal troops and convoys pass through on their way to Chechnya, said Ingush Interior Ministry spokesman Major Akhmed Dalsigov.

The soldiers in the vehicle were detained, and three local police officers manning the checkpoint were hospitalized, Dalsigov said. He did not explain what had caused the crash.

Meanwhile Wednesday, Interfax reported that troops had killed two rebels who were discovered planting mines on a heavily traveled road in Chechnya.