Russia: More than 15 police officers were killed and a priest beheaded, and over a dozen others were injured, following a series of coordinated attacks by gunmen on a synagogue, two Orthodox churches, and a police post in Russia’s North Caucasus region of Dagestan on Sunday.
Officials reported civilian casualties as well, though the total number of deaths has yet to be confirmed by Russian authorities. The attacks in Makhachkala resulted in injuries to at least 13 police officers and three civilians.
According to Dagestan’s interior ministry, five gunmen involved in the attack have been killed, Reuters reported. Two of the terrorists were neutralized in Derbent and three in Makhachkala.
National Anti-Terrorist Committee, Russia labeled the attacks as acts of terrorism and announced the initiation of a ‘terror investigation’ into the shootings. Authorities also declared a counter-terrorist operation in the area. No group immediately claimed responsibility for the attacks.
The synagogue and church are situated in Derbent, a city with an ancient Jewish community in the predominantly Muslim North Caucasus region. The attack on the police post occurred in Makhachkala, the capital of Dagestan, which borders Georgia and Azerbaijan.
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🚨🇷🇺RUSSIA: GUNMEN ATTACK ORTHODOX TEMPLE AND SYNAGOGUE
Gunmen opened fire on a synagogue and Orthodox Church in Derbent in the Republic of Dagestan, leading to a fire breaking out at the synagogue.
Additionally, a police checkpoint in Makhachkala was targeted by gunfire,… pic.twitter.com/1WpMPy7wRk
— Mario Nawfal (@MarioNawfal) June 23, 2024
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This evening, armed attacks targeted two Orthodox churches, a synagogue, and a police checkpoint in the cities of Derbent and Makhachkala. Preliminary reports from Russia’s National Antiterrorism Committee indicate that the attacks resulted in the deaths of a Russian Orthodox Church priest and several police officers.
Shamil Khadulaev, Chairman of Dagestan’s Public Monitoring Commission, informed CNN that Father Nikolay, a 66-year-old ill priest, was killed in the Derbent church, with his throat slit.
Footage purportedly from the attacks, shared on social media, shows multiple armed men in black attire firing at police vehicles and civilians on the streets. Most of the wounded are reported to be police officers.
The synagogue, part of an ancient Jewish community in the South Caucasus and a UNESCO World Heritage Site, was set on fire by the attackers using firebombs, according to Russia Today.
Dagestan Governor Sergei Melikov commented, ‘We understand who organized these terrorist attacks and their objectives.’ He added in another statement that “unknown persons attempted to destabilize the social situation, but Dagestan police officers intervened, resulting in casualties among them.’
June 24-26 have been declared days of mourning in Dagestan, with flags lowered to half-staff and all entertainment events cancelled, according to the Governor.
In response to the attack, the Israeli Foreign Ministry issued a statement saying that the synagogue in Derbent had been burned to the ground and shots were fired at a second synagogue in Makhachkala. They added that it was believed there were no worshippers in the synagogue at the time.
Russian agencies reported that street fights were gripping Makhachkala, the chief administrative town in Dagestan. In the 2000s, Dagestan experienced an Islamist insurgency spilling over from neighboring Chechnya, prompting Russian security forces to launch aggressive operations to combat extremists in the region.