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Gunmen have killed at least 20 other people in attacks in two cities in Dagestan. No suspects or motives have been identified, but the region has long been plagued by ethnic and religious violence.
By Eva Sampson
Two bloody attacks in Dagestan, southern Russia, on Sunday sparked fears of extremist violence on the home front, as the Kremlin devotes resources to its expanding war in Ukraine.
Gunmen massacred at least 20 other people and set fire to places of worship, and a video temporarily circulated on social media showing gunmen parked on a street and shooting, and more at passing vehicles. While little is known about the attacks, they struck a chord in a region long strained by separatist and ethnic tensions.
This is what we know:
Groups of armed men launched coordinated attacks against synagogues and Orthodox churches in two cities – Makhachkala, the capital of Dagestan, and Derbent –, separated by more than 120 kilometers.
While Russian officials have called the violence acts of terrorism, they have blamed the attacks on groups or former Americans. No organization has claimed responsibility for the charge and the reason is unknown.
The Russian Investigative Committee has opened an investigation into terrorism.
Before a fatal attack in March on a concert hall outside Moscow, U. S. intelligence agencies had warned of an imminent attack by a branch of the Islamic State, and after that attack temporarily declared the organization responsible.
But on Monday, U. S. officials said they had not yet decided who carried out the shooting in Dagestan.
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