Islamic Militants Attack In Dagestan Leaves 21 Dead

The map above locates a June 23 rampage by Islamic militants who authorities say killed 20 people, most of them police, and attacked houses of worship in apparently coordinated assaults in two cities.

The death toll in the recent attack by Islamic militants in Russia's southern region of Dagestan has tragically risen to 21, following the passing of a wounded police officer in the hospital, as confirmed by officials on Tuesday.

The attack, which took place on Sunday, targeted Christian and Jewish houses of worship and involved firing at police in the cities of Derbent and Makhachkala in the predominantly Muslim region of the North Caucasus. This incident stands as the deadliest attack in Russia since March, when gunmen opened fire at a concert in suburban Moscow, resulting in the loss of 145 lives.

An affiliate of the Islamic State group in Afghanistan, which claimed responsibility for the March attack, swiftly praised the assault in Dagestan, attributing it to 'brothers in the Caucasus who showed that they are still strong.'

Islamic militants targeted Christian and Jewish places of worship in Derbent and Makhachkala.

21 individuals, including a police officer, died in the recent attack in Dagestan.

The attackers killed five assailants during the incident.

The Islamic State group in Afghanistan claimed responsibility for the assault.

Rev. Nikolai Kotelnikov, a Russian Orthodox priest, was among the deceased.

The Investigative Committee, Russia's primary state criminal investigation agency, has reported that all five attackers were killed during the incident.

Mavsum Ragimov, the head of the Derbent region, disclosed on Tuesday that a police sergeant succumbed to his injuries in the hospital, bringing the total number of victims to 21, with 16 of them being police officers. Medical authorities in Dagestan have indicated that at least 46 individuals were injured, including 13 police officers.

Among the deceased was the Rev. Nikolai Kotelnikov, a 66-year-old Russian Orthodox priest at a church in Derbent. The attack occurred during the Orthodox celebration of Pentecost, also known as Trinity Sunday.

In the early 2000s, Dagestan experienced frequent attacks on police and other authorities attributed to militant extremists. Following the rise of the Islamic State group, a significant number of residents from the region joined the group in Syria and Iraq.

While violence in Dagestan has somewhat subsided in recent years, the incident at the airport in October, where mobs rioted targeting a flight from Israel, serves as a stark reminder that extremist sentiments still prevail in the region. Over 20 individuals sustained injuries, none of whom were Israelis, as hundreds of men, some brandishing banners with antisemitic slogans, stormed the tarmac, pursued passengers, and engaged in altercations with law enforcement officers.