A series of coordinated attacks on synagogues and churches in two cities in the southern region of Dagestan resulted in the death of at least 20 people, with the assailants being blamed on Islamic extremists in the predominantly Muslim region in the North Caucasus. Russian officials have pointed to Islamic “sleeper cells” as being responsible for the attacks, directed from abroad. The violence in Dagestan’s regional capital of Makhachkala and nearby Derbent was described as the deadliest in Russia since a similar attack in March, where gunmen opened fire at a concert in suburban Moscow, killing 145 people. The affiliate of the Islamic State group in Afghanistan that claimed responsibility for the March attack praised the attackers in Dagestan.
Among the victims of the attacks were at least 15 police officers, with at least 46 people injured, including 13 police officers. The assailants targeted a Russian Orthodox priest at a church in Derbent, killing him by slitting his throat before setting fire to the church. The Kele-Numaz synagogue in Derbent was also set ablaze during the attacks. Following the attacks in Derbent, militants also fired at a police post in Makhachkala and attacked a Russian Orthodox church and a synagogue there before being pursued and killed by special forces. The country’s top state criminal investigation agency opened a terrorism investigation and reported that all five attackers were killed.
FBI Director Christopher Wray issued a warning about a heightened terror threat following the Biden administration’s withdrawal from Afghanistan, coupled with attacks on Israel by Hamas terrorists. Former CIA Deputy Director Mike Morell also spoke about the terror threat posed by vulnerabilities at the U.S.-Mexico border, arguing that there is a lack of urgency in responding to intelligence gaps that could hinder efforts to properly vet illegal immigrants. The Washington-based Institute for the Study of War suggested that the Islamic State group’s North Caucasus branch was likely behind the attacks in Dagestan, describing them as “complex and coordinated.”
The violence in Dagestan has been linked to extremist sentiments that still run high in the region, with many residents joining the Islamic State group in Syria and Iraq after its emergence. In recent years, Dagestan has seen a decrease in violence, but the attacks serve as a reminder that extremist sentiments are still present in the region. After the Moscow concert hall attack in March, Russia’s top security agency reported breaking up a terrorist cell in southern Russia that had provided weapons and cash to suspected attackers in Moscow. The attacks in Dagestan are a grim reminder of the ongoing threat posed by terrorism in the region and the need for continued vigilance and preventative measures to combat these threats.
