Unrest in Dagestan: National Guard deployed amid rising violence
A tense situation has unfolded in Russia's Dagestan. After attacks on churches, a synagogue, and a police station, regular street fights have erupted. Authorities in Moscow have decided to deploy the National Guard. The exact number of casualties remains unknown.
Media reports indicate that gunfire can still be heard in the streets of both Derbent and Makhachkala. Dagestan authorities are urging residents to stay in their homes. The National Anti-Terrorism Committee has announced that a counterterrorism operation (CTO) has been implemented "to ensure citizens' safety, suppress terrorist crimes, and detain those involved in the armed attack."
A plan has been announced in Dagestan to intercept the terrorists. Efforts are ongoing to establish the attackers' identities. Media outlets have also published images of the suspects.
"In Derbent, a residential building is currently under siege, with the aim of eliminating the militants," reports local media. According to Russian law enforcement, the attackers in Makhachkala and Derbent are supporters of an international terrorist organization.
In Makhachkala, gunfire also continues.
Media reports state that the central part of Derbent is without power, and clashes are ongoing in the city.
Reports have also emerged of people being trapped in a temple in Makhachkala.
Casualty report
Different casualty counts are coming in. The number of people killed in Dagestan due to militant attacks has risen to nine. Seven of them are law enforcement officers. Additionally, twenty-five people have been injured, according to NEXTA. During the attack on the church in Derbent, a priest was killed by having his throat cut, reports the dpa agency citing the Russian Investigative Committee.
"On Magomedtarigova Street in Makhachkala, clashes are ongoing between the police and militants. So far, four militants have been eliminated," reports the Ministry of Internal Affairs of the Republic of Dagestan. At least two more suspects have been detained in the Berezka beach area.
Attacks in Dagestan
"According to information from the press office of the Ministry of Internal Affairs of Dagestan, around 3 PM Greenwich Time in Derbent, unknown individuals with automatic weapons opened fire on a synagogue and a church," stated Gajana Garijewa, head of the Ministry's press service.
At the time of the attack in the temple in Derbent, people were inside, but according to preliminary information, they managed to avoid confrontation with the extremists. As a result of the militant attack, the church and synagogue burned down," reports TASS.
An attack also occurred in Makhachkala, the capital of Dagestan, where the assailants fired on a police station and a church.
