On June 27-July 3, 2016, four persons fell victim to armed conflict in Northern Caucasus

During the week of June 27-July 3, 2016, four persons fell victim to the armed conflict in Northern Caucasus. Of them, three persons were killed, and another 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.

The death toll includes two suspected members of illegal armed formations (IAFs) in Dagestan and one law enforcer in Chechnya.

Special and counterterrorist operations

At 6:00 a.m. Moscow time of June 30, the counterterrorist operation (CTO) legal regime was introduced within the administrative boundaries of the Shamil District, some areas of the mountain-wooded area near the village of Nakitl of the Khunzakh District and the village of Garadag of the Gunib District of Dagestan. Law enforcers are engaged in the search for suspected IAF members and their accomplices.

Explosions and terror acts

In the evening of June 27, a blown-up BMW passenger car with the remains of two human bodies inside it was found in the Karabudakhkent District of Dagestan, near the 831^st kilometre of the federal highway "Caucasus". Combat engineers identified the power of the explosive device, which detonated inside the car. According to the preliminary information, it amounted to about five kilograms of TNT equivalent. Inside the car, besides the burnt human bodies, law enforcers discovered two mobile phones and a Czech-made pistol, home-transformed into a combat weapon, with five bullets inside its magazine. The improvised explosive device (IED) was assembled from expedient means and packed with striking elements. One of the men blown up on the IED was identified as Ramazan Rashidov, born in 1987, report sources from the law enforcement bodies of the region. Earlier, it has been reported about the disappearance of Kaspiysk residents Ramazan Rashidov, born in 1987, and Shamil Ramazanov, born in 1990. Their family members claim that they were kidnapped by people in uniform on June 16 and 17. The relatives believe that Ramazan Rashidov and Shamil Ramazanov were kidnapped and killed by law enforcers and that the version of their accidental explosion was constructed by staff members of the law enforcement bodies.

On June 28, a contract serviceman of the combat engineering unit of the Ministry of Defence (MoD) detonated while engaged in the scheduled demining of agricultural land in the vicinity of Khankala in Chechnya. Another contractor-serviceman was hospitalized with a mine blast injury. His condition is assessed as serious.

Detentions

On June 28, on the outskirts of the village of Endirei of the Khasavyurt District of Dagestan, staff members of the Temporary Operational Group of the bodies and units of the Ministry of Internal Affairs (MA) together with staff members of the Dagestani MIA stopped a VAZ-2109 car driven by a 50-year-old local resident. During the personal search of the man, the policemen found and seized a grenade and a loaded magazine for a pistol.

On July 1, about 20 believers of the mosque located in General Omarov Street (former Hungarian Fighters Street) were brought to the Soviet ROVD (District Interior Division) of Makhachkala. By evening, all the detainees were released. Besides, law enforcers detained Ruslan Alibekov, a reporter of the Dagestani newspaper "Chernovik" (Draft), when he was taking pictures after Friday prayers in the Salafi mosque.