On August 24-30, at least seven persons fell victim to armed conflict in Northern Caucasus

During the week from August 24 to August 30, 2015, at least seven persons suffered from the armed conflict in Northern Caucasus, six of them were killed and one was wounded. These are the results of the calculations run by the "Caucasian Knot" based on its own materials and information from other open sources.

All the casualties are alleged members of the armed underground in Dagestan.

Attacks on law enforcers

On August 24, around 10:00 p.m., between the villages of Mutsalaul and Genzheaul in the Khasavyurt District of Dagestan, a man opened fire on the police, and was killed by response fire; he was pre-identified as Islam Muradov, who was on the federal wanted list in the case of organization of an illegal armed formation (IAF) or participation therein. According to a law enforcement source, Muradov was an active member of the "Khasavyurt" subversive-terrorist grouping; and in December 2014, he swore allegiance to the leader of the "Islamic State" (IS), recognized as a terrorist organization. Nobody suffered from among power agents.

Special and counterterrorist operations

On August 24, around 3:00 a.m. Moscow time, near the neighbourhood of Novy Khushet of the capital of Dagestan, employees of federal forces tried to stop a Lada Priora car near the railway crossing; however, its passengers opened fire from inside the car. During the shootout, three militants were killed, and an OMON (riot police) fighter was wounded. All three casualties were identified as IAF members, namely: Abdul Kurbanov, the leader of the "Makhachkala" grouping, and his subordinates Magomed Ibragimov and Magomed Abdulkhaliev. In the afternoon on August 24, special operations continued in Novy Khushet, power agents inspected household after household and checked documents; gunfire was heard, said local residents. On August 25, there were no active steps; and on August 29, at 10:00 a.m., the counterterrorist operation (CTO) regime in the Leninsky District of Makhachkala was cancelled.

On August 27, at 12:00 a.m. Moscow time, the CTO regime was introduced within the administrative boundaries of the Magaramkent District of Dagestan. At night on August 29, at about half past one Moscow time, militants were found during operative-search actions. At an attempt to stop a car that moved on a country road, two passengers opened fire on law enforcers, who opened response fire. As a result of shelling, the car caught fire. After the liquidation of the fire, policemen found bodies of two persons inside the car.

Detentions

On August 25, in the Zolsky District of Kabardino-Balkaria, a local resident was detained on suspicion of helping IAF members. Policemen found that in 2013-2014 he provided shelter, supplied foodstuffs and provided his car to the IAF members, acting in the territory of Kabardino-Balkaria.

On August 25, during inspection of a housing in the Zelenchuk District, a suspected local resident Kazbek Bostanov snatched a TT pistol and fired at policemen. His targets were a senior SOBR (a SWAT analogue) operative agent of the Regional Department of the MIA, and deputy head of the division of the Centre for Combating Extremism (CCE). The policemen did not suffer: the operative agent was protected by his bullet-proof vest saved and the CCE employee had his sleeve pierced with a bullet. The third bullet hit the wall. The regional police department has noted that the man had planned to kill one of the Imams of the Zelenchuk District.

On August 26, after a search of his house, Akhmed Akhmedov, a resident of Novy Khushet, born in 1964, was detained. According to the detainee's son, during the search, agents of unknown power structures found a bucket with ammunition. The whereabouts of Akhmedov is unknown to his relatives.