Victor Ezeja
Gunmen on Sunday unleashed terror on some places of worship and police posts in two Russian cities, killing over 15 officers and many civilians.
The attack, which appeared to be a coordinated one, took place in the Republic of Dagestan, in the North Caucasus, a predominantly Muslim region.
Join our WhatsApp ChannelThe attacks on Sunday, targeted a police post, two churches, and a synagogue in Makhachkala, the capital of Dagestan. Among the dead was a priest from the Orthodox Church, a BBC report quoted Sergei Melikov, Dagestan Republic’s head saying.
The incident comes three months after ISIS affiliate, ISIS-K, carried out an attack at the Crocus City Hall in Moscow, that claimed more than 140 lives.
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The attackers have not been identified, but the region, according to reports, has a history of Islamist attacks in the past.
A report by Russia’s news agency, TASS, on Sunday, quoted the law enforcement saying that the gunmen in Dagestan were “adherents of an international terrorist organisation.”
Video and photos shared on social media showed flames and smoke coming out of a synagogue in Derbent. One of the footage, apparently filmed from the window of a building in Makhachkala, shows unidentified people wearing black, shooting at a police car in a street.
The number of civilians killed and those injured is yet to be ascertained.
Melikov, who announced that three days of mourning would begin on Monday, claimed that the attack had been planned abroad, apparently linking it to the ongoing Russia war with Ukraine.
He said investigations would be conducted to unravel the cause of the attack.
“Operative-search and investigative measures will be carried out until all participants of the sleeper cells are identified, which, undoubtedly, include some that were organised from abroad,” he said in a Telegram post.
The priest killed during the attack on a church in Derbent was identified as Father Nikolay. “They slit his throat. He was 66 years old and very ill,” said Dagestan Public Monitoring Commission Chairman, Shamil Khadulaev.
Victor Ezeja is a passionate journalist with seven years of experience writing on economy, politics and energy. He holds a Master's degree in Mass Communication.
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