22:30, 1 October 2012

On September 24-30, 2012, at least 8 persons fell victim to armed conflict in Northern Caucasus

Last week, on September 24-30, 2012, at least 8 persons fell victim to the armed conflict in Northern Caucasus. These are the results of calculations of the "Caucasian Knot" based on own materials of the edition and information from other open sources.

Five suspected members of illegal armed formations (IAFs) were killed, all of them in Dagestan. Besides, in Dagestan, three civilians were killed.

One should understand that the above statistics cannot reflect with absolute accuracy the number of victims in each of the identified categories of the survey. Not all the data get into news reports. It is not always possible to verify the reliability of statements made by law enforcement bodies.

Five supposed militants killed

On September 24, four suspected militants were killed in the city of Khasavyurt in Dagestan. Police officers tried to stop a VAZ-21014 car for check. The people in the car opened fire on the police officers. During the shooting, the suspected militants were killed. None of the law enforcement officers suffered. The killed persons were preliminary identified: two of them were residents of Khasavyurt, and two others were residents of the village of Novoselskoe. The National Antiterrorist Committee (NAC) reports that three of killed men were "recruits" of the "Khasavyurt" militant grouping, and one of them was their accomplice. The law enforcement agents suspect the men, killed in Khasavyurt, of extorting money from businessmen.

At night of September 28, in the village of Burdeki of the Sergokala District of Dagestan, a member of the IAF was killed in a firefight, and he was preliminary identified. The member of IAF was found in the village. He opened fire on law enforcement agents and took refuge in a house under construction. The gunman was killed by returning fire. None of police officers suffered. According to the law enforcement agents, the killed man was the last member of the "Sergokala" armed grouping.

Attacks on civilians

In the evening of September 24, in Khasavyurt, unidentified persons shot dead Sultanakhmed Shagaev, a psychology teacher, who worked at the Pedagogic College. The man died in hospital without regaining consciousness.

On September 27, in the village of Kushtil of the Khiv District of Dagestan, a 51-year-old woman, who worked in a commercial store, was killed. An unidentified man several times shot to the saleswoman from automatic weapon. She died at the place from the wounds. The killed woman was the owner of the store.

In the evening of September 29, in the field, 35 kilometres from the village of Kunbatar of the Nogai District of Dagestan, the shepherd's body with gunshot wounds was found. Officials from the Ministry of Internal Affairs (MIA) believe that the shepherd could see the movement of militants and he was shot dead as unwanted witness.

Detentions

On September 25, in Makhachkala, law enforcement agents detained a local resident, suspected of murder of an investigator, committed in July in Dagestan.

On September 25, a female resident of the Kizlyar District surrendered to the unit on duty of the Department of the Russian MIA in the city of Makhachkala. The woman reported that she provided assistance to members of the "Kizlyar" sabotage and terrorist grouping, led by Rustam Gasanov.

On September 27, law enforcement agents five guns, four sawn-off guns and ammunition thereto from a resident of the Urus-Martan District of Chechnya.

Staff members of the Centre to Combat Extremism of the Kabardino-Balkarian MIA detained two residents of the village of Verkhnyaya Zhemtala of the Cherek District, suspected of providing assistance to members of IAFs.

On September 29, in the mountainous Shatoi District of Chechnya, law enforcement agents detained a local resident, suspected of involvement in IAFs.

On September 29, in Dagestan, a resident of Khasavyurt, who provided assistance to militants and who was put on the wanted list, surrendered to the police.

Staff members of the OVD (Interior Division) of the Magaramkent District of Dagestan unlawfully detain a 23-year-old Magomed Guseinov. This was reported on September 24 by Kevser Guseinova, a resident of the village of Tagirkent of the Magaramkent District.

Disappearances

On September 25, Ziyarat Arabova, a resident of the village of Khasanai of the Babayurt District of Dagestan, reported on disappearance of her daughter Salikhat Arabova. On September 17, the 16-year-old girl left home and never returned.

Azamat Abazov, a resident of the town of Baksan of Kabardino-Balkaria was invited to law enforcement agencies for a conversation and then he disappeared. This was reported by his wife Raisa Abazova, who appealed to the Human Rights Centre (HRC) "Memorial".

On September 26, the unit on duty of the Kizlyar police received a report on disappearance of Gadji Gakiev, a local resident.

On September 27, the Dagestani police received two complaints of resident of Makhachkala and the Khiv District about disappearance of their relatives.