New Delhi

Synagogues, churches and a police post in Russia's North Caucasus region of Dagestan came under attack on Sunday (June 23), killing at least 20 people, including policemen and a priest.

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"As a result of the terrorist attack that took place yesterday in Makhachkala and Derbent, 46 people were injured, among them civilians and law enforcement officials," Dagestan's health minister Tatyana Belyayeva said.

"Unfortunately, 20 people had been killed," she added. 

Videos that went viral on social media showed masked gunmen opening fire at these places of worship. The attack comes three months after 145 people were killed in an attack claimed by the Islamic State on a concert hall near Moscow, Russia's worst terrorist attack in years.

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The attacks were almost simultaneous in Dagestan's largest city Makhachkala and in the coastal city of Derbent. Governor Sergei Melikov called it a "terrorist attack".

Also read | Six policemen and priest killed as gunmen open fire at synagogue and church in Russia' Dagestan

According to officials, police personnel eliminated four gunmen in Makhachkala and two in Derbent.

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The local governor confirmed that among the dead were several civilians, including a priest who had worked in Derbent for over 40 years. 

Also watch | Dagestan: Gunmen target religious places | Memorial service for Kanishka victims

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"This evening in Derbent and Makhachkala unknown (attackers) made attempts to destabilise the situation in society," Melikov wrote on Telegram.

"We know who is behind these terrorist attacks and what objective they are pursuing," he added later, without specifying but referring to the Russia-Ukraine war.

"We must understand that war comes to our homes too. We felt it, but today we face it," he said.

At the time of filing this report, the operation to eliminate the gunmen had concluded. The governor said that the "active phase" of operations in the two cities had ended and that "six bandits have been liquidated".

The authorities are now working to find "all the members of these sleeper cells who prepared (the attacks) and who were prepared, including abroad", he added.

The days between June 24 and 26 have been declared days of mourning in Dagestan. The flags have been lowered to half-mast and most entertainment events stand cancelled. 

Russia's Investigative Committee said it had opened criminal probes over "acts of terror" in Dagestan. There, however, was no immediate claim of responsibility for the attacks.

(With inputs from agencies)