Armed individuals have launched attacks in two locations in the northern Caucasus region of Dagestan, Russia, resulting in the deaths of six police officers and a clergyman, as reported by officials. The assaults were targeted at a synagogue, two Christian Orthodox churches, and a police station in the heavily Muslim territory.
In Derbent city, the attackers stormed a synagogue serving the local Jewish population. State-run media source Tass reported that two surrounding Orthodox churches were subsequently targeted, where a priest and a law enforcement officer were killed. Recorded footage shared across social platforms showed the assailants engaged in a fierce firefight with officers.
It has been confirmed that the Derbent synagogue was set alight, with video evidence showing the heritage site, recognised by Unesco, engulfed in flames.
In simultaneous events, armed assailants confronted the police in Dagestan’s capital, Makhachkala, situated roughly 75 miles northwards on the coast of the Caspian Sea. Reports from local law enforcement indicate that a minimum of one officer was killed, with six others sustaining injuries. Visual evidence provided by the Russian media depicted scenes of gunfight and a scorched police vehicle.
According to a statement from Russia’s interior ministry, the combined attacks resulted in the death of six officers, with 12 more injured. Dagestani officials suggested a link between both incidents.
“Dagestan law enforcement officials thwarted attempts by unidentified assailants to destabilise the public order in both Derbent and Makhachkala tonight. Preliminary reports suggest there have been casualties among them,” stated Dagestan’s governor, Sergei Melikov, via Telegram.
The Russian investigative committee is treating the incident as an act of terrorism. The motivation behind these attacks remains unknown. Russian news outlets reported on Monday, quoting the National Anti-Terrorism Committee, that the police had killed five attackers.
Russia has witnessed an upsurge in Islamist terror attacks of late, raising concerns over whether its vast security establishments have been diverted by the ongoing Ukraine invasion and domestic suppression of opposition to the war.
The Islamic State’s Afghan offshoot, referred to as the Islamic State Khorasan Province, claimed responsibility for a mass shooting that took place at a concert hall in Moscow in March. This incident, the most lethal terror attack in recent years, contributed to the death toll of 139 individuals.
Previous week witnessed a crucial operation by Russian elite forces in the southern city of Rostov. They successfully rescued a pair of guards held captive at a correction facility by six individuals associated with IS, who were subsequently neutralised in the intervention. Furthermore, there have been troubling incidents of antisemitism surfacing in Dagestan. The most prominent incident from last year involved an unruly crowd attacking the Makhachkala airport, looking for Israeli passengers of Jewish descent. – Guardian.