06:38, 8 January 2018

On January 1-7, 2018, three persons fell victim to armed conflict in Northern Caucasus

Military vehicles during the special operation. Photo by the press service of Russia's National Anti-Terrorism Committee http://nac.gov.ru/kontrterroristicheskie-operacii/v-dagestane-v-hode-kto-neytralizovany-troe.html

During the week of January 1-7, 2018, at least three persons were killed in the armed conflict in Northern Caucasus. No wounded were reported. These are the results of the calculations run by the "Caucasian Knot" based on its own materials and information from other open sources.

The death toll includes a law enforcer and, according to the law enforcement bodies, a suspected member of the armed underground in Chechnya, and a civilian in Dagestan.

Attacks on law enforcers

On January 3, Abubakar Ustarkhanov, the chief of the police station at the Avtury village in the Shali District of Chechnya, was shot to his head and killed near a cash desk of a local shop. The killer stole a police officer's car, and later it was found on the outskirts of the Avtury village.

Special and counterterrorist operations

On January 4, on the outskirts of the Avtury village, policemen and soldiers cordoned off Khamzat Baimuradov, suspected of shelling and killing the chief of the police station. During his detention, the suspect rendered resistance and was killed by return fire. Earlier, Khamzat Baimuradov, a 27-year-old local resident, served in the law enforcement bodies and had criminal record for aiding and abetting militants, a source from the Ministry of Internal Affairs (MIA) reports. A video was posted on the Internet, which, according to users of social networks, showed the body of Khamzat Baimuradov brought to a village square.

Attacks on civilians

On January 6, Saigidakhmed Magomedov, a resident of the Mutsaul village in the Khasavyurt District of Dagestan, was killed near his house. According to the preliminary information, he had a conflict with unidentified men, who then made several times shots at him. The killed man was the Imam of the Quarter Mosque, closed earlier along with other Salafi mosques in Dagestan.

Detentions

On January 5, law enforcers detained 10 people near the Salafi mosque located in General Omarov Street (formerly Hungarian Fighters Street) in Makhachkala. Policemen stopped pedestrians and drivers. The law enforcers explained the search of people by preventive measures. Ten persons were brought to the police station and released after verification of their IDs, the Ministry of Internal Affairs (MIA) reports.