Deadly Attacks Shake Dagestan: Gunmen Target Synagogue, Churches, and Police Post

GG News Bureau
Synagogue, 24th June. A wave of coordinated attacks orchestrated by gunmen struck multiple sites in Russia’s North Caucasus region of Dagestan on Sunday, resulting in a devastating toll of casualties and sparking a swift counter-response from authorities. The assailants targeted a synagogue, two Orthodox churches, and a police post in Makhachkala, the capital of Dagestan, and Derbent, a city with a historic Jewish community.

Reports from Dagestan’s interior ministry indicate that more than 15 police officers were killed, alongside a tragic incident where a 66-year-old Russian Orthodox Church priest, Father Nikolay, was brutally murdered in Derbent. Additionally, several civilians sustained injuries during the attacks, underscoring the indiscriminate violence unleashed.

The National Anti-Terrorist Committee of Russia swiftly labeled the assaults as acts of terrorism, launching a comprehensive investigation and declaring a counter-terrorist operation in response. Five gunmen involved in the attacks have been neutralized, with two apprehended in Derbent and three in Makhachkala.

Social media footage purportedly from the scene depicted armed assailants dressed in black engaging in gunfire with police and civilians. The violence escalated with reports of firebombing targeting the synagogue, a UNESCO World Heritage site integral to the ancient Jewish community in the region.

In a statement, Dagestan Governor Sergei Melikov condemned the attacks as an attempt to destabilize the region, affirming that local law enforcement swiftly engaged the perpetrators despite suffering casualties in the process.

The Israeli Foreign Ministry responded with grave concern, confirming damage to the synagogue in Derbent and an attempted attack on another in Makhachkala, emphasizing that worshippers were fortunately absent during the assaults.

The tragic events have prompted days of mourning from June 24 to 26 in Dagestan, marked by lowered flags and the cancellation of all entertainment activities as a gesture of respect for the lives lost in the attacks.

The region of Dagestan, bordering Georgia and Azerbaijan, has faced periodic bouts of violence stemming from Islamist insurgency, requiring continuous vigilance and security measures from Russian authorities to safeguard public safety and combat extremism effectively.