JAKARTA: Indonesian police say they have shot and killed two Islamist terrorists in a raid in the east of the country.

National police spokesman Brig. Gen. Boy Rafli Amar said the two were killed by anti-terrorism squad officers Friday after they drew weapons close to a mosque in Makassar, the capital of South Sulawesi province.

He says two other militants were arrested at the scene.

He says the men were part of a cell allegedly involved in recent attacks on police in nearby Poso district.

Indonesia, a mostly Muslim country, has struggled against militancy for years.

Al-Qaida linked terrorists staged four major attacks against western targets between 2002 and 2009

In recent years, Indonesian police have been criticized for shooting terrorists, rather than trying to arrest them.