Terrorist Attack In Russia Dagestan Kills 15 Police, Pastor Cuts His Neck

UNSPLASH/Klaus Wright ILLUSTRATION

JAKARTA - As many as 15 police officers and a priest were killed in terrorist attacks in a number of places of worship in Russia's southernmost province of Dagestan, local authorities said.

Sergey Melikov, leader of the Republic of Dagestan, said six smalls' were also killed in the attack on the church, sinagoge and police posts in the city of Derbent and the capital of the Makhachkala area, which is about 120 kilometers away.

A priest killed in an attack on a church in Derbent was identified by the Chairman of the Dagestan Public Supervision Commission, Shamil Khadulaev, as Father Nikolay.

"They slit his throat. He is 66 years old and is seriously ill," Khadulaev said as quoted by CNN, Monday, June 24.

A security guard armed with a gun was also shot, Khadulaev said. The condition of the guard and the number of victims is still unclear.

No group has yet claimed responsibility for the attack, which comes three months after the ISIS affiliate, ISIS-K, claimed an attack on the Crocus City Hall in Moscow that claimed more than 140 lives in one of Russia's deadliest terrorist atrocities over the years.

The law enforcement agency told TASS state news agency the gunmen in Dagestan were "involvers of international terrorist organizations."

Dagestan is an area with a Muslim population and is home to a small number of Christians and even fewer Jewish minorities.

Russian security forces fought Islam's insurgency in the mountainous region in the 2000s that spread from neighboring Chechen countries, although attacks have become less frequent in recent years.

Earlier, local authorities reported nine people were killed and 25 others injured in the attack.

Muftiyat now says "law enforcement officers, ulama, and ordinary citizens" are among the victims but do not specify the exact number.

One of the law enforcement officers killed was Mavludin Khidirnabev, head of the police department 'Lampu Dagestan', according to the Telegram channel of the Dagestan Ministry of Home Affairs.