"Members of the group planned to detonate an explosive close to an administrative building belonging to security services, followed by an armed attack against interior ministry employees" in regional capital Makhachkala, the FSB said in a statement. On December 17, police killed two attackers targeting security forces in Russia's neighbouring republic of Chechnya. Six people were also killed during an October "counter-terrorism" operation in Chechnyan capital Grozny, including two members of the security forces. Increasingly Islamist in character, the insurgency spread to other republics in the region and declared allegiance to IS in 2015. While the jihadist group's influence remains limited, occasional attacks against the authorities persist in Chechnya, Dagestan and neighbouring Ingushetia.

Source: Dhaka Tribune December 26, 2020 09:11 UTC