Russia: Gunmen Kill 20 People, Including Cops, Priest, Civilians In Southern Dagestan

At least 20 people including policemen and civilians were reportedly killed by gunmen in Russia's southern Dagestan region on Monday, the authorities said. An Orthodox priest also was among the slain people  killed by armed militants in the incident.

The attacks are said to have taken place in in churches, synagogues and a police traffic stop in the cities of Derbent and Makhachkala, which are some 120 kilometers apart.

Russia's investigative committee said 15 policemen and four civilians were killed. According to Dagestan's healthcare ministry, 46 more people were wounded.

At least five attackers were killed, some were shown by local media shot dead on a pavement.

There was no immediate claim of responsibility for the attacks. The authorities have launched a criminal probe on the charge of a terrorist act.

"This is a day of tragedy for Dagestan and the whole country," said Sergei Melikov, the head of the Dagestan region, who on Monday visited the synagogue and church that were attacked in Derbent.

He said that foreign forces had been involved in preparing the attack, but gave no details.

"This is an attempt to cleave apart our unity."

Dagestan announced three days of mourning. Photos of the dead policemen were lined up on the street by red carnations.

President Vladimir Putin, who has long accused the West of trying to stoke separatism in the Caucasus, sent his condolences to those who lost loved ones.

Dagestan is a mainly Muslim republic of Russia's North Caucasus, a patchwork of ethnic groups, languages and regions that live in the shadow of the Caucasus mountains between the Caspian Sea and the Black Sea.

(With inputs from Reuters)