Terror as Islamic Jihadis open fire on synagogues and churches in Russia leaving multiple dead

[Vinson]

That's what they do

Russia: Islamic jihadis attack two churches and a synagogue in Dagestan, priest had throat slit. Six cops dead.


Gunmen opened fire on two synagogues, two Orthodox churches and a police post in Russia's North Caucasus region of Dagestan on Sunday.

The Investigative Committee of the Russian Federation opened a terrorism investigation in response to the "armed attacks in Derbent and Makhachkala, as a result of which police officers and civilians were killed and injured," according to the agency’s Telegram page.

Shamil Khadulaev, chairman of the Public Monitoring Commission of Dagestan, said a 66-year-old priest was found with his throat slashed at an Orthodox church, the state-sponsored TASS news agency reported.

At least two police officers were also killed, news agencies quoted the Russian Interior Ministry as saying, according to Reuters. At least six people were wounded.

Videos circulated online showing buildings set on fire and gunmen engaging in shootouts with police.

Citing unspecified reports, Reuters said one officer was killed when shots were fired at a synagogue in Derbent, home to an ancient Jewish community in the North Caucasus.

Gunfire was also reportedly exchanged in an Orthodox church in the town that is a UNESCO heritage site. Another shootout was reported at a police post in Makhachkala, about 75 miles to the north along the Caspian Sea coast and the main city in Dagestan, a mainly Muslim region in southern Russia, according to Reuters.

Sergei Melikov, Vladimir Putin's appointed head of Dagestan, said "unknown persons" in Derbent and Makhachkala attempted to "destabilize the social situation," Russian news agency RIA reported.

The attacks were not immediately attributed to a specific group.

https://twitter.com/i/web/status/1804943170993590756

https://twitter.com/i/web/status/1804909791195607310

https://www.cnn.com/2024/06/23/europe/dagestan-synagogue-attack-russia-intl-latam/index.html

 

[bazokajoe]

Those terrorists are as good as dead.

 

[Vinson]

Those terrorists are as good as dead.

I don't know if they caught them, but The Russians will find a way to punish them or their people. Looks like a attack from several people or groups.

 

[Vinson]

Barbarous Islamists backwards at least 16 dead

The southern Russian region of Dagestan was rocked on Sunday by a series of deadly attacks in two major cities, which claimed the lives of multiple civilians and at least 15 police officers, as assailants deliberately targeted synagogues and Orthodox Christian churches.

Where it happened
Dagestan is one of several Muslim-majority regions in Russia’s North Caucasus, which stretches along the coast of the Caspian Sea. The tragic scenes unfolded in the regional capital, Makhachkala, and Derbent, a large city 120km to the south.

Derbent attacks
During a raid on a Christian church in the city, militants brutally killed its archpriest, Father Nikolay Kotelnikov, security officials confirmed. The gunmen broke into the church on Pentecost Sunday after the evening service and reportedly slit the 66-year-old man’s throat, after killing a guard.

The Derbent synagogue that came under attack had recently strengthened its security, with a police squad stationed outside and private security guards on the premises, according to the Russian Jewish Congress, a national religious organization.

Police and security personnel were the first to confront the gunmen and were killed by the attackers, who raided the synagogue around 40 minutes before an evening prayer. The terrorists then used firebombs to set the building on fire.

Makhachkala attacks
Violence in the regional capital apparently began with a raid on a traffic police post. Among multiple videos circulating online, one shows a group of three men. Two of them are firing weapons and the third appears to be looting a police car.

Little confirmed information about the events in Makhachkala was immediately available. The Russian Jewish Congress confirmed that a synagogue in the city was attacked in a similar manner to the one in Derbent.

Some media outlets claimed that militants had taken hostages at a Christian church in Makhachkala, but reports later clarified that over a dozen people had barricaded themselves inside due to a firefight nearby. They were never in danger, according to Dagestan officials.

Counter-terrorist operation
The manhunt in Derbent lasted for several hours. The police chief from the neighboring town of Dagestanskie Ogni came to aid fellow officers and was fatally injured by the militants, the regional Interior Ministry reported.


The National Antiterrorism Committee (NAC) declared the active phase of the operation in Derbent over around 11pm local time, confirming that two assailants had been neutralized.

The counterterrorist operation in Makhachkala was still ongoing as of 2am local time, with at least three militants killed and the authorities still searching for possible accomplices, according to the governor of the Republic of Dagestan, Sergey Melikov.

Casualties
Reports of the death toll have been inconsistent. The authorities confirmed at least 15 fatalities among police officers, and several civilian casualties.

The regional Interior Ministry said that a total of 16 people, including 13 policemen, had been rushed to the main regional hospital in Makhachkala throughout the day.

Perpetrators
Multiple media reports citing police sources claimed that two of the militants killed in Makhachkala were identified as sons of a municipal head. The man was reportedly arrested and is likely to lose his job, according to the media. Other Russian officials described the gunmen as members of an international terrorist organization.
‘Diabolic’ goal

Representatives of Russian Jewish, Christian, and Muslim communities have universally condemned the attacks on the places of worship. The Dagestan Muftiate called the brutality antithetical to Islam.

Patriarch Kirill, the head of the Russian Orthodox Church, said the perpetrators were seeking to incite religious hatred, calling it “diabolic.”

“Everything possible must be done to prevent even the possibility of radicalization of religious life, to exclude any forms of extremism and ethnic enmity,” he stated.

Terrorist attacks in southern Russia: What we know so far

Militants have targeted synagogues, churches, and the police in the Russian region of Dagestan in deadly raids

www.rt.com

 

[xmontrealer]

Long story short, it seems it's not a good idea to be a Christian, Jew, or other "infidel" in a Muslim controlled state. Even if it is "the religion of peace"

 

[Vinson]

Long story short, it seems it's not a good idea to be a Christian, Jew, or other "infidel" in a Muslim controlled state. Even if it is "the religion of peace"

That's for sure, but many are born there. Best for Canada and the US to take in those guys rather than asylum seekers that are jihadists.

 

[whynot888]

Apparently one of the attackers was part of Khabib Nurmagomedov's camp

https://www.mmanews.com/news/mma-fighter-training-khabib-nurmagomedov-gym-responsible-terror-attack-dagestan

 

[southpaw]

Apparently one of the attackers was part of Khabib Nurmagomedov's camp

I'm shocked! Shocked, I tell you.

 

[Vinson]

Apparently one of the attackers was part of Khabib Nurmagomedov's camp

https://www.mmanews.com/news/mma-fighter-training-khabib-nurmagomedov-gym-responsible-terror-attack-dagestan

What's with his ear?

 

[canada-man]

Dagestan, in southern Russia, has a history of violence. Why does it keep happening?




Over the years, Russia’s southern republic of Dagestan, located in the North Caucasus region, has been beset by extremist violence. This weekend, there was more bloodshed.

Officials say five gunmen in the regional capital of Makhachkala and the city of Derbent opened fire at Orthodox churches and two synagogues, as well as a police post, killing at least 20 people before being slain by authorities.

The large-scale and coordinated assault raises difficult questions for the Russian authorities about continued security lapses, especially after an attack claimed by an affiliate of the Islamic State group at a Moscow-area concert hall in March killed 145 people.

A look at the volatile region:

Where is Dagestan?
Dagestan, which sits in the North Caucasus between Chechnya and the Caspian Sea, is known as one of Russia’s most diverse — but volatile — regions.


There are more than 30 recognized ethnic groups and 13 local languages granted special status alongside Russian.

The region has seen its population boom in recent years, reaching 3.2 million in 2024.

About 95% of the population identifies as Muslim, according to Russian government statistics, but the region also has long-standing Christian and Jewish communities. The Jewish community dates to the 5th century.

A history of violence
It has been blighted by violence since the early 2000s, when militant insurgents taking part in separatist wars in neighboring Chechnya were pushed into the region as a result of pressure from Russian security forces and iron-fisted Chechen leader Ramzan Kadyrov.



Bombings, attacks on police and kidnappings — all blamed on extremists — were commonplace in the region more than a decade ago,

The bloodshed eased as tougher security measures were imposed before the 2014 Winter Olympics in Sochi, and thousands of militants were believed to have left for Syria and Iraq to fight alongside Islamic State extremists there.


The COVID-19 pandemic and Russia’s invasion of Ukraine also has kept violence down. said Harold Chambers, a political and security analyst specializing in the North Caucasus.

But the region remains restive.

Activists in Russia say ethnic minorities are serving in Ukraine in disproportionate numbers, and videos circulated in October 2022 of protests in Dagestan over complaints that its population was providing more recruits than elsewhere.

In a sign that extremist sentiments still run high, mobs rioted at Makhachkala’s airport in October, targeting a flight from Israel. Hundreds of men, some carrying banners with antisemitic slogans, rushed onto the tarmac, chasing passengers and throwing stones at police. More than 20 people were hurt — none of them Israelis.

What happened this weekend?
The attacks took place Sunday night in the city of Derbent and the regional capital of Makhachkala. A group of armed men attacked a synagogue and an Orthodox church in Derbent, the Interior Ministry said.

The Russian Jewish Congress said the attackers opened fire and set the building ablaze using Molotov cocktails less than an hour before evening prayers. Many of the victims were private security guards and police who had provided extra security for worshippers after the Makhachkala airport incident involving the flight from Israel.


At the church, attackers slit the throat of the Rev. Nikolai Kotelnikov, a 66-year-old Russian Orthodox priest, before setting the church ablaze, according to Shamil Khadulayev, deputy head of a local public oversight body. The attack came on the day the Orthodox faithful celebrated Pentecost, also known as Trinity Sunday.

Almost simultaneously, reports appeared about an attack on a church, synagogue and a traffic police post in Makhachkala, some 120 kilometers (about 75 miles) to the north.

Russia’s Anti-Terrorist Committee said at least five gunmen were killed.

Why is this happening now?
Chambers says several factors contribute to the unrest in Dagestan, including sympathizers to the Ukrainian cause and Russia’s “continuous, tightening repression — particularly in the wake of the large-scale anti-mobilization protests in September of 2022,”

He also says a “long-term trend of youth radicalization contributed to what we saw in Makhachkala and Derbent.”


So far, no group has claimed responsibility for the attacks.

Telegram channels associated with the Islamic State affiliate group that carried out the Moscow concert hall massacre praised Sunday’s attack by “our brothers from the Caucasus,” but did not mention its own involvement.

Dagestan Gov. Sergei Melikov blamed Islamic “sleeper cells” directed from abroad, but didn’t give any other details. He said in a video statement that the assailants aimed at “sowing panic and fear,” and attempted to link the attack to Moscow’s military action in Ukraine — but also provided no evidence.

President Vladimir Putin had sought to blame the Crocus City Hall attack in March attack on Ukraine, again without evidence and despite the claim of responsibility by the Islamic State affiliate. Kyiv has vehemently denied any involvement.


How did authorities respond?
Dagestan’s violent history means the area has a heavy security presence, said Mark Youngman, the founder of Threatologist, which analyzes Eurasian security risks and specializes in the North Caucasus. Nonetheless, the response was slow, with different state agencies giving conflicting accounts as events unfolded.
“If you’re looking at it from a security perspective, you should have concerns because you have a high number of security service casualties,” Youngman said, noting Russian authorities reported at least 15 security service personnel among the dead.
“I think you would look at the official response and say there are concerns about the security services’ ability to protect themselves, let alone others,” he said.
The Russian state news agency Tass cited law enforcement sources as saying that one Dagestani official was detained over his sons’ alleged involvement in the assault.
Concerns remain that Russia’s broad security apparatus has not learned the lessons from the Moscow Crocus City Hall concert attack.
Authorities “were caught off guard” by Sunday’s attack, Chambers said.
He believes a disconnect remains between Russian counterterrorism and the capability of assailants operating domestically.
There has been no evidence that Russia’s “counterterrorism strategy more broadly will change in the wake of the Crocus City Hall attack,” Chambers said.
“The solution is still deportation and repression. This has been the Russian counterterrorism strategy for decades, and it has still allowed for such attacks as today,” he said.




Dagestan has a history of violence. Why does it keep happening? | AP News

 

[The Oracle]

What's with his ear?

'' Cauliflower ear, also known as wrestler's ear, is a deformity caused by blunt auricular trauma. A hematoma forms in the outer ear, disrupting the cartilage's blood supply and producing necrosis and inflammation. Fibrocartilaginous overgrowth occurs, forming the characteristic cauliflower-like appearance ''

 

[The Oracle]

Apparently one of the attackers was part of Khabib Nurmagomedov's camp

https://www.mmanews.com/news/mma-fighter-training-khabib-nurmagomedov-gym-responsible-terror-attack-dagestan

Just conjecture on my part but I doubt Khabib had any ties to this...He issued a statement of condolences to the victims and thier families.

 

[y2kmark]

Just conjecture on my part but I doubt Khabib had any ties to this...He issued a statement of condolences to the victims and thier families.

I'll concede you're closer to the source, here...

 

[shack]

a deformity caused by blunt auricular trauma.

The auricle, a homphone of oracle.