Gunmen kill three police, one civilian in Daghestan
| Publisher | Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty |
| Publication Date | 1 December 2008 |
| Cite as | Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty, Gunmen kill three police, one civilian in Daghestan, 1 December 2008, available at: https://www.refworld.org/docid/493506f3c.html [accessed 17 September 2023] |
| Disclaimer | This is not a UNHCR publication. UNHCR is not responsible for, nor does it necessarily endorse, its content. Any views expressed are solely those of the author or publisher and do not necessarily reflect those of UNHCR, the United Nations or its Member States. |
December 01, 2008
MOSCOW (Reuters) – Gunmen have killed three police officers and a passerby in Daghestan in southern Russia, news agencies said, a region where increased violence could destabilize the whole country.
The attackers fired at a police checkpoint in Daghestan's capital, Makhachkala, at around 8:40 p.m. (1740 GMT) before fleeing. The police officers returned fired and killed one of the attackers, a police source told RIA Novosti news agency.
Over the last two years, violence has spread across the North Caucasus from Chechnya, where Russian forces have fought two wars against rebels since 1994.
Bomb attacks and shootouts occur almost daily in Daghestan, but a death toll of three police officers, one pedestrian, and one of the attackers is higher than usual. In October, five police officers were killed and another nine were wounded in an attack.
A mixture of economic frustration and heavy-handed police tactics make Daghestan a fertile recruitment ground for radical Islamists looking for disenchanted young men, analysts have said.
This week, Russian security forces said that intensifying violence in the region could destabilize the entire country.