Six wars of Dagestan

Among participants are clans, the security services, militants, the extremist underground resistance and religious movements

The police in Dagestan are working in an intensified regime. According to the police brief in Dagestan for the first 26 days of July, 7 policemen, 3 military servicemen, a federal judge, 6 civilians, heads of two villages and 5 militants were killed. A chief engineer of an energy company was kidnapped. There were 16 cases of successfully repelled attacks or survival of an attack by police and civilians. The word ‘war’ is appearing more and more often in the local media, but the sides in the war have not yet been defined .

Attacks on police

July 26th unknown assailant carries out drive-by shooting, killing the head of the criminal investigation department of Kaspiysk, Aliaskhab Magomedov.

July 23rd in the village of Yarag-Kazmalyar in the Magaramkentskiy region a local police officer was killed.

July 23rd in the village of Chontaul in Kiziliurtovskiy region a police car hit a land mine and was attacked, resulting in death of a local investigator, and injuries sustained by an authorized police officer and two civilians.

July 13th the car of the deputy head of the criminal investigation department of Khasaviurt region, Ahmed Gadjiyev, was attacked. He was killed, his passenger wounded.

July 12th in the village of Gudben senior police lieutenant Ruslan Magomedov, who had been awarded the Order of Courage, was killed. His father, Abdulmalik Magomedov, head of the village police, had been killed a year ago. His mother Yelena Triftonidi, aunt Umakhanum and sister Gulbariyat were blown up by the father’s grave in November 2009.

July 12th two road police officers were attacked while checking documents. They were both wounded together with a passenger. One of the officers died.

July 5th a police dog specialist of the Khasaviurt region was killed.

July 23rd three servicemen were killed in Buynaksk.

July 10th body of the chairman of the Untsukulskiy regional court, Magomedrasul Khasbulatov, was found on Akushinskiy Street in a car.

Murders and kidnappings of officials

July 24th head of village of Chernyayevka in Kizlyar region killed.

July 23rd chief engineer of ‘Sulakskiy HydroCascade’ kidnapped.

July 21st owner of a café in Makhachkala murdered. An explosive device had been planted a month ago.

July 21st two young men were killed in Kirovaul of Kiziliur region. They were shot in the car.

July 14th head of village of Kirovaul in Kiziliurt region, Sakhrudin Malikov, was killed.

July 7th a burned-out car with two corpses was found in Makhachkala.

July 6th a car convoy with special police groups was attacked, a resident of the village of Mesterukh in Akhvakh region died. He was driving his vehicle behind the convoy.

Neutralized militants

July 10th a militant was killed in a shootout with police in the village of Gergentala in Buynak region.

July 3rd a militant was killed by a law-enforcer in Kizlyar region.

July 1st three dead militants were found in a forest on the 15th km stretch of the Makhachkala-Buynaksk road.

Railway war

July 23rd bomb went off at Inchkhe-Kayakent railroad terminal. Member of non-departmental security forces was injured.

July 15th a locomotive with two carriages was blown up on the Tarki-Manas railroad.

July 11th a train with grain blown up on the Achisu-Manas railroad near Izberbash. 13 of 50 carriages derailed.

July 2nd a self-made explosive device went off on the Manas-Achisu railway. The train driver and his assistant were wounded. 10 carriages de railed.

Conclusion

It seems the war is going against all the abovementioned sides. But the government cannot be described as an independent judge. The authorities support some clans against each other and some religious movements against others, making itself more and more enemies. Sometimes militants are killed without trial or legal process. Arresting them could provide answers to many questions. A life sentence would be a much more severe punishment than death, which only turns criminals into heroes.

Musa Musayev, Makhachkala. Exclusively for VK