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A string of shootings at a synagogue, an Orthodox church, and a local police station by unknown gunmen in Russia has left at least six police officers and a priest dead and a dozen others wounded.
According to Russian outlets translated by Reuters and other western outlets, the Russian Interior Ministry says the attack took place at the cities of Derbent and Makhachkala in the North Caucasus on the coast of the Caspian Sea. Derbent is home to more than 100,000 people.
An unknown number of assailants were also killed by security forces responding to what we described as coordinated attacks. The synagogue at Derbent was also set on fire. The Orthodox church that was attacked is a United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization, or Unesco, site.
“The synagogue in Derbent was set on fire and burned to the ground. Local guards were killed. The synagogue in Makhachkala was attacked by gunfire, there are no further details,” a statement from Israel’s foreign ministry said.
Videos shared online appear to show the cultural and religious sites burning. Shots can also be heard ringing out in the videos. One video shows local police exchanging fire with at least one of the unknown gunmen, some of whom were recorded shouting “Allahu Akbar” as they mounted the assault.
For years, the North Caucasus region — an area that sits just north Georgia and Azerbaijan — has been beleaguered by a low-intensity conflict between locals and jihadist militants, many of them inspired or involved with the Caucasus Emirate and the Islamic State. Since 2009, thousands have been killed and even more have been wounded as part of the long-simmering conflict.
In October 2023, an antisemitic mob rampaged through an airport in Dagestan shouting “Allahu Akbar” after a flight from Tel Aviv landed on the tarmac. According to messages on Telegram reviewed by a Russian news agency, the mob of hundreds were looking for the “Jewish refugees” that had reported arrived onboard the plane. At least 60 people were arrested after the mob was broken up.
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