In the region of Dagestan in Russia, attacks on churches and synagogues have claimed the lives of 15 police officers and four civilians. This incident, which took place recently, has raised concerns about Islamist violence in the historically turbulent North Caucasus.
These attacks occurred on Sunday, just months after a brutal attack by Islamic State group fighters in a Moscow concert hall, where over 140 people lost their lives, marking it as the deadliest attack in Russia in nearly two decades.
Following the coordinated attacks in Makhachkala and Derbent, Moscow announced on Monday that they had conducted an “anti-terrorist operation,” resulting in the elimination of five of the attackers.
While these events evoke memories of the insurgent violence that plagued the North Caucasus in the past, the Kremlin has dismissed concerns about a resurgence of such attacks.
Russia has been a target of attacks by IS due to its military support for Syrian leader Bashar al-Assad, and the terrorist group claims to have established a presence in Russia’s North Caucasus region.
According to the Investigative Committee of Russia, 15 law enforcement officers and four civilians, including an Orthodox priest, lost their lives in these attacks. The Committee confirmed that five assailants were “liquidated.”
Details about the total number of attackers involved in the incident remain unclear.
Among the victims was Russian Orthodox archpriest Nikolai Kotelnikov, who was killed in his church in the historic city of Derbent on the Caspian Sea coast.
The National Antiterrorism Committee, responsible for responding to mass attacks and thwarting terror plots, reported concluding a swift response operation on Monday morning.
During the 1990s and 2000s, separatist and militant groups engaged in guerilla-style warfare against Russian authorities in the mountainous North Caucasus following the Soviet Union’s dissolution.
Despite past conflicts in Chechnya and efforts to suppress insurgency there, Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov expressed confidence in a different Russia today, asserting that the society stands united against terrorist acts.
The Investigative Committee of Russia initiated criminal investigations into the terror acts, while Dagestan Governor Sergei Melikov condemned the attacks as an attempt to destabilize the region.
He insinuated the involvement of specific entities behind the attacks without providing explicit details, hinting at connections to the conflict in Ukraine.
Highlighting the ongoing threat, Patriarch Kirill of the Russian Orthodox Church suggested that the “enemy” aims to disrupt inter-religious harmony in Russia.
Multiple locations, including two Orthodox churches, two synagogues, and a police checkpoint, were targeted in the attacks, as reported by officials and the Russian Jewish Congress.
After visiting the sites of the attacks in Derbent, Melikov shared videos showing the aftermath of the violence, with disturbing scenes of bloodshed and destruction.
The attacks occurred on Pentecost Sunday, a religious holiday observed by the Russian Orthodox Church.
Authorities have frequently announced successful operations targeting alleged IS operatives in the North Caucasus region, as tensions remain high amid recent conflicts.
In recent developments, the FSB security service arrested individuals in Dagestan suspected of plotting the earlier attack on Moscow’s Crocus City Hall, which was claimed by IS.
Militants from Dagestan have been linked to joining IS in Syria, and the terrorist group declared its presence in the North Caucasus in 2015.
Heightened tensions in the Muslim-majority region were observed following the Gaza war, with incidents like the storming of a local airport in response to rumored arrivals from Israel.
AFP