On March 16-22, at least 10 persons fell victim to armed conflict in Northern Caucasus reported

During the week of March 16-22, 2015, ten persons fell victim to the armed conflict in Northern Caucasus. Of them, seven persons were killed, and three other were wounded. These are the results of calculations made by the "Caucasian Knot" based on its own materials and information from other open sources.

According to the law enforcement agencies, all the victims were suspected members of the armed underground in Dagestan.

Attacks on civilians

On March 19, in Makhachkala, in the yard of the house located in Akushinsky Avenue, three unidentified persons in a Lada Priora car opened fire on X-5 car driven by a staff member of the Centre for Combating Extremism (CCE). The policeman was wounded; according to an eyewitness, one of the attackers was also wounded by return fire. The attackers fled. According to a source in the Ministry of Internal Affairs (MIA), one of the attackers "was preliminary identified as Murad Musaev, a member of the so-called 'Makhachkala' criminal grouping."

Special and counterterrorist operations

On March 16, the counterterrorist operation (CTO) regime was introduced in the Khasavyurt, Kizilyurt, Kazbek, and Novolak Districts of Dagestan, and in the cities of Kizilyurt and Khasavyurt. At 10:00 p.m. of March 15, a CTO regime was introduced in the city of Buynaksk and the Buynaksk District of Dagestan. There, law enforcers organized a search for militants. The total area of the five regions of Dagestan, in the territory of which the CTO regime has been introduced, is about 4500 square km with the population of 368,000 people.

At 7:50 a.m. of March 21, a CTO regime was introduced in the Lenin District of Makhachkala. During the special operation, law enforcers blocked a five-storey building, where, according to the information available, members of the armed underground took refuge. During the talks, the persons blocked in the building opened fire. As a result, a fighter of the Special Rapid Response Unit (known as SOBR) was wounded. A little boy was let out of the apartment, but his mother refused to leave the building.

Then, the active phase of the special operation was resumed. In the course of it, seven suspected militants, including four men and three women, were killed. None of civilians suffered. One of the killed persons was preliminary identified as Murad Musaev, a member of the "Makhachkala" criminal grouping. The other killed militants are still to be identified. The CTO regime was cancelled on March 22.

Detentions

On March 17, near a cafe located in Baku Commissars Street in Makhachkala, law enforcers detained Murad Khiriyasulaev. This was reported by his relatives. On March 18, they found out that the detainee was kept in the Soviet ROVD (District Interior Division) of Makhachkala. The Prosecutor's Office of Dagestan confirmed the detention and the fact that Murad Khiriyasulaev was brought to the Soviet ROVD.

On March 17, in Buynaksk, local resident Shamil Magomedov was kidnapped. This was reported by his relatives. According to eyewitnesses, in Kutuzov Street, Shamil Magomedov was stopped by unidentified persons, who broke windows of his car, forced him out of it and took him away to some unknown destination. On March 19, the relatives found Shamil Magomedov in an IVS (temporary detention facility) in Makhachkala. To protect his interests, they hired advocate Selim Magomedov.