During week of January 13-19, 2014, 37 persons fell victim to armed conflict in Northern Caucasus

During the week of January 13-19, 2014, at least 37 persons suffered in the armed conflict in Northern Caucasus. Of them, 16 persons were killed, and 21 persons were wounded. These are the results of calculations made by the "Caucasian Knot" based on its own materials and information from other open sources.

The death toll includes 12 suspected members of armed underground, three law enforcers, and one civilian, all of them in Dagestan.

Attacks on law enforcers

On January 17, near the village of Gichi-Gamri in the Sergokala District of Dagestan, an armed clash occurred. As a result, a suspected member of illegal armed formations (IAFs) was killed. No law enforcer suffered.

Special operations and CTOs

At night of January 15, in the Khasavyurt District of Dagestan, a group of suspected persons was blocked in one of the private houses of the village of Karlanyurt. Militants rendered fierce armed resistance and used dark time of day to try to break through the cordon. During the special operation, four suspected militants were killed. Besides, three law enforcers were killed and five others were wounded. The suspected militants killed during the special operation have been identified. They were Rustam Dagirov, Marat Idrisov, Arsen Khangereev, and Sirazhudin Cherkesov. According to law enforcers, Marat Idrisov was one of the organizers of the terror act in Pyatigorsk.

On January 13, at 6:16 a.m. Moscow time, the counterterrorist operation (CTO) regime was introduced within the administrative boundaries of the town of Baksan and the village of Kishpek of the Baksan District of Kabardino-Balkaria. On January 13, the head of the Russian FSB Department for the Republic of Kabardino-Balkaria (KBR) decided to cancel the CTO regime starting from 2:30 p.m. due to absence of threats to life, health and property of people.

On January 16, starting from 2:00 p.m. Moscow time, in Dagestan, a legal regime of counterterrorist operation was introduced within 20-kilometre band on the administrative border with the Stavropol Territory and the Tarumovka District. The special operation in the Tarumovka District is conducted in the responsibility area of the police checkpoint "Artesian".

On January 18, starting from 00:00 a.m., a CTO regime was introduced in the Kirov District of Makhachkala. At night, in the village of Semender, law enforcers cordoned off the house, where suspected militants were hiding. The law enforcers started negotiations with the suspected militants, and, as a result, a woman and three children left the house. The suspected militants blocked in the house twice tried to break through the cordon. During the first breakthrough attempt, one suspected member of the armed underground was killed. During the examination of ruins in the house, six dead bodies of suspected militants were found, including a woman, identified as Zaira Alieva. According to the law enforcers, one of the men killed in the special operation was identified as Makhmud Aliev, the leader of the Makhachkala militants. Besides, according to the law enforcers, during the special operations, Gamzat Mutalipov, Magomedrasul Shakhbanov, and Saigidulbatal Suleimanov were killed.

On January 18, starting from 2:00 p.m., a CTO regime was introduced within the boundaries of the town of Chegem in Kabardino-Balkaria. A group of suspected militants was cordoned off in one of the houses in the city. The CTO regime was cancelled at 5:30 p.m. of the same day. During the CTO, no armed clashes and detentions occurred.

On January 19, starting from 7:00 a.m., a CTO regime was introduced in the territory of the Kazbek District of Dagestan. There, law enforcers carried out the large-scale special operation to find members of armed formations and their accomplices. At 7:30 p.m. Moscow time, a CTO regime was cancelled. No incidents were reported during the CTO regime.

Bombings and terror acts

On January 17, at about 7:45 p.m. Moscow time, in Bogatyrev Street in Makhachkala, unidentified persons shelled the facade of the entertainment centre "Golden Empire". No one suffered in the shelling. Ten minutes later, a bomb detonated in a car parked near the entertainment centre. According to the Investigating Committee of the Russian Federation (ICRF), as a result of the explosion, 16 persons were injured, including seven law enforcers. Power of the improvised explosive device (IED) was 40 kilograms of TNT equivalent. A crater with depth of 50 cm and diameter of two meters was formed at the place of the explosion.

Attacks on civilians

On 14 January, at 00:45 a.m., on the road to Kizilyurt (Dagestan), policemen stopped a VAZ-21099 car to check documents. When they tried to check documents, the driver attempted to escape. The policemen used their service weapons. As a result, a woman in the car got a gunshot wound and died. A 15-year-old teenager, the car driver, was detained.

Detentions

On January 13, in the house belonging to a resident of the village of Dugulubgei of the Baksan District of Kabardino-Balkaria, law enforcers found an improvised explosive device (IED) packed with striking elements presented by bolts and nuts. Besides, in the house, the law enforcers found a rifle and ammunition for it. The man has been detained, and the law enforcers are checking his involvement in crimes.

On January 13, in Nalchik, during search and investigating operations, a resident of Baksan was detained. Law enforcers searched him and seized a plastic package with substance of vegetable origin and a RGN grenade with a fuse. According to expert, the seized substance is a narcotic drug of marijuana with weight of 198.3 grams.

On January 15, at the intersection Nakhushev and Zakharov Streets in Nalchik, when conducting the search, policemen found and seized from a local resident 15 rounds of 7.62 mm calibre, two F-1 grenades with fuses, and a parcel with "substance of vegetable origin with a specific smell of cannabis." The suspect was detained.

On January 18, in the town of Chegem of Kabardino-Balkaria, policemen detained two local residents. According to law enforcers, during the search of the detainees, they found ammunition.