Experts: Derbent shelling was aimed at militaries

Tourists could occasionally get under attack in the Derbent incident – the attackers' targets were servicemen, said the experts, interviewed by the "Caucasian Knot".

The attack on people in the vicinity of Naryn-Kala Fortress happened last night. 12 persons were hospitalized to the Derbent hospital with gunshot wounds; one of them later died. According to investigators, at least three attackers were shelling the people. The head of Dagestan Ramazan Abdulatipov said that a group of people at the entrance to the fortress was shelled by militants who are still at large.

In the opinion of Geidar Djemal, the Chairman of the Islamic Committee of Russia, the attack in Derbent could be committed by militants from "Imarat Kavkaz", which is recognized a terrorist organization in Russia.

The expert has also noted that in recent time "it has become popular to ascribe everything to the IS. In his opinion, it is not reasonable "to consider everything what is happening in Northern Caucasus only in the context of the IS' interests."

Geidar Djemal has added that "the shooting in Derbent cannot be considered in connection with the terror acts in Volgograd on the eve of the New Year."

The attack could be committed "by a new generation of young radicals," said Rinat Mukhametov, an Islamic researcher and political analyst.

Full text of the article is available on the Russian page of 24/7 Internet agency ‘Caucasian Knot’.