More than 15 people were killed when gunmen attacked churches and synagogues in Russia’s North Caucasus region of Dagestan on Sunday. According to AFP, unidentified gunmen launched a simultaneous attack targetting the cities of Derbent and Makhachkala on the Orthodox festival of Pentecost.
The armed attacks were carried out on two Orthodox churches, two synagogues, and a police checkpoint. The dead include at least eight police officers, a priest and a security guard. Police also shot and killed six of the attackers. Police are hunting for others, media reports said.
While the assailants are yet to be identified, Dagestan has seen Islamist attacks in the past.
Speaking on the attack, Dagestan’s Interior Ministry said a group of armed men opened fire at a synagogue and church in Derbent, AP News reported. Both the church and the synagogue were set on fire, according to state media. The reports of the attacks on a church, synagogue and a traffic police post in Makhachkala came almost simultaneously.
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Monday, Tuesday and Wednesday have been declared days of mourning in the region.
While authorities announced counter-terrorist operations in the region, it wasn’t clear how many militants were involved in the attacks. There has been no immediate claim of responsibility for the attacks.
Russian state news agency Tass cited law enforcement sources as stating that a Dagestani official was detained over his sons’ alleged involvement in the attacks.
Dagestan governor Sergei Melikov vowed that the investigation into the attacks will continue until “all the sleeping cells” of the militants are uncovered. He further claimed that the attacks might have been masterminded from abroad, without providing any proof. Melikov referenced what the Kremlin calls “the special military operation” in Ukraine in an apparent attempt to link the attacks to it.