More than a dozen killed in synagogue, church attacks in Russia’s Dagestan
Gunmen have attacked churches, a synagogue and a police post in Russia’s North Caucasus region of Dagestan, killing at least 15 police and National Guard officers, several civilians and an Orthodox priest along with six attackers according to authorities.
At least 12 people were injured in the attacks, which took place in the cities of Derbent and Makhachkala on Sunday, the festival of Pentecost for the Russian Orthodox Church.
Videos posted on social media and shown on Russian TV showed the skies of Derbent, which is home to an ancient Jewish community in the mainly Muslim region, filled with smoke and flames after the synagogue was set on fire.
Places of worship were also attacked in Makhachkala, the capital of Dagestan and its largest city, approximately 125km (78 miles) away, where the police post also came under attack.
Al Jazeera’s Yulia Shapovalova reports from Moscow.
Anna Matveeva is a senior research fellow at King’s College London.
She says Dagestan has a history of religious violence.
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