Russia: Gunmen Strike Places of Worship in Dagestan, Leaving Police Officer, Priest Dead

DAGESTAN: On Sunday, gunmen attacked places of worship in two cities in Russia's southern Dagestan province. They killed at least 15 police officers, an Orthodox priest, and an unknown number of civilians in what seemed to be a coordinated attack.

Sergey Melikov, the head of Dagestan, reported that at least six attackers were also killed. The attacks targeted churches, synagogues, and police stations in the cities of Derbent and Makhachkala, which are about 120 kilometers (75 miles) apart.

The attacks happened in Dagestan, a mainly Muslim area in the North Caucasus by the Caspian Sea, known for its history of separatist and militant violence. The situation has worsened due to Russia's war in Ukraine, where many ethnic minorities have been called up to fight.

Videos and photos showed big flames and thick smoke coming from a synagogue in Derbent. In Makhachkala, footage taken from a building window showed unidentified people dressed in black shooting at a police car on the street.

No group has claimed responsibility for the attacks yet. They happened three months after ISIS-K, an ISIS affiliate, said it was behind an assault at Crocus City Hall in Moscow that killed more than 140 people, making it one of the deadliest terrorist attacks in Russia in years.

Russian law enforcement agencies informed the state-run news agency TASS on Sunday that the gunmen in Dagestan were "followers of an international terrorist organization."

The exact number of victims is still unknown. The Muftiyat of the Republic of Dagestan, a central Islamic organization that previously provided information on the casualties, has deleted all posts related to its count of the dead and wounded. Initially, local authorities stated that at least nine people had been killed and 25 injured.

The Muftiyat now states that "law enforcement officers, clergy, and ordinary citizens" are among the victims but does not give specific numbers.

Dagestan has a small Christian minority and an even smaller Jewish population, both of which seemed to be targeted in Sunday's attacks.

The priest killed during the church attack in Derbent was identified as Father Nikolay by Shamil Khadulaev, the Chairman of the Dagestan Public Monitoring Commission.

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