At least five police officers have been killed and dozens injured in clashes in Macedonia with unidentified gunmen in a town near the Serbian-Kosovan border, the BBC reported.

The Interior Ministry said the armed group came from a neighboring country, without elaborating.

The fighting broke out during an early morning raid on Saturday in an ethnic Albanian part of the town of Kumanovo.

Police are continuing to search houses in the area. Some residents have been accused of sheltering the fighters.

Interior Minister Gordana Jankulovska said police were attacked with bombs and automatic rifles, and that the group had been planning attacks on state institutions.

She described the five officers killed as "heroes who gave their lives today for the Republic of Macedonia".