Russia’s counter-terrorism authorities have killed four militants associated with the Islamic State (ISIS) also known as Daesh, who were planning an attack in the predominantly Muslim region of Dagestan, as revealed by Russian security services.
Russian Intelligence services have been alerted by an increase in militant Islamist activity and plots in Russia and Central Asia from where thousands travelled to become part of jihadi groups battling in the Syrian civil war.
Islamic State-Khorasan, also known as ISIS-K, claimed responsibility for the 2024 Crocus City Hall shooting in Moscow which resulted in 145 deaths, and there have been a number of Islamic State-linked attacks thwarted in the Muslim regions of southern Russia and the ex-Soviet republic of Central Asia.
Russian security services expressed that the militants in Dagestan had been planning to attack a regional unit of the interior ministry.
“Grenade launchers, improvised explosive devices, grenades, machine guns, a pistol and ammunition for them were found at the site of the clash and in a nearby cache,”
stated Russia’s National Anti-Terrorism Committee.
“According to available evidence, the gang’s activities were coordinated by members of the Islamic State, an international terrorist organization banned in Russia.”
Head of the Republic of Dagestan, Sergey Melikov, said that various weapons, including improvised explosive devices, grenade launchers and machine guns were confiscated at the scene and in a nearby stockpile. Melikov also said the group’s moves, based on available information, were supported by members of the terror outfit.
According to him, the counter-terrorism operation regime was raised in the district, and the circumstances in the region were calm, with the required operational and investigative actions still continuing.
“I regard the bandits’ actions as doomed attempts at comprehensive measures to destabilize the situation in our region,”
Melikov said.
The attack in Dagestan came just days after Russia’s Federal Security Service (FSB) said it had killed a man who was plotting attacks on the Moscow metro and a Jewish religious club in the Moscow area.
Both Russia and the United States declared they had beaten Islamic State in Iraq and Syria in 2017 and 2019. However, the group fractured and ISIS-Khorasan has shocked governments across Europe and the Middle East. ‘ISIS-Khorasan’ is derived from a Persian term that originally referred to Iran, Turkmenistan, Afghanistan, Tajikistan, and Uzbekistan.
