Gunmen kill police, priest in attacks on places of worship in Russia’s Dagestan

Gunmen opened fire on places of worship in two cities of Russia’s southernmost Dagestan province on Sunday, killing at least 15 police officers, an Orthodox priest and an unknown number of civilians, in what appeared to be a coordinated attack.

Sergey Melikov, head of the Dagestan Republic, said at least six “militants” were also killed following the attacks on churches, synagogues and police posts in the cities of Derbent and the regional capital Makhachkala, which are about 120 kilometers (75 miles) apart.