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WORLD NEWS Tuesday 25 June 2024
Russian region of Dagestan holds a day of mourning after attacks

kill 20 people, officials say

MOSCOW (AP) — Russia’s faithful celebrated Pentecost,
southern region of Dagestan also known as Trinity Sunday.
held the first of three days of Melikov, the Dagestan gov-
mourning Monday following ernor, said Sunday that also
an attack by Islamic militants among the dead were a Rus-
who authorities say killed 20 sian Orthodox believer and
people, mostly police, and 18 Muslims.
attacked Christian and Jewish The Kele-Numaz synagogue in
houses of worship in assaults Derbent also was set ablaze.
in two cities. Shortly after the attacks in
Sunday’s violence in Dages- Derbent, militants fired at a
tan’s regional capital of police post in Makhachkala
Makhachkala and nearby and attacked a Russian Ortho-
Derbent was the latest that dox Church and a synagogue
officials blamed on Islamic there before being killed by
extremists in the predomi- special forces.
nantly Muslim region in the Russian news reports said the
North Caucasus. It was attackers included the two
also the deadliest in Russia sons and a nephew of Ma-
since March, when gunmen In this photo taken from video released by The Telegram Channel of the head of Dagestan Republic gomed Omarov, the head
opened fire at a concert in of Russia on Monday, June 24, 2024, an internal view of the damaged Kele-Numaz synagogue in of the Dagestan regional
suburban Moscow, killing 145 Derbent is seen after a counter-terrorist operation in republic of Dagestan, Russia. branch of the pro-Kremlin
people. An affiliate of the Is- Associated Press United Russia party. Oma-
lamic State group in Afghani- Dagestan Gov. Sergei Melikov claim of responsibility by the tan said at least 46 people rov was detained by police
stan had claimed responsibility blamed members of Islamic Islamic State affiliate. Kyiv has were injured. for interrogation, and United
for March’s raid and quickly “sleeper cells” directed from vehemently denied any in- Of those, at least 13 were Russia quickly dismissed him
praised the attack in Dages- abroad, but didn’t give any volvement. police, with four officers hos- from its ranks. Melikov later
tan, saying it was conducted other details. He said in a vid- Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Pes- pitalized in grave condition. said Omarov had been re-
by “brothers in the Caucasus eo statement that the assail- kov said Putin has received Among the dead was the Rev. moved from his post, Russian
who showed that they are ants aimed at “sowing panic reports on Sunday’s attacks Nikolai Kotelnikov, a 66-year- state news agencies reported.
still strong.” The Washington- and fear,” and attempted to and efforts to help the victims. old Russian Orthodox priest In the early 2000s, Dagestan
based Institute for the Study of link the attack to Moscow’s The Investigative Committee, at a church in Derbent. saw near-daily attacks on po-
War argued that the Islamic military action in Ukraine but the country’s top state crimi- The attackers slit his throat be- lice and other authorities that
State group’s North Caucasus also provided no evidence. nal investigation agency, said fore setting fire to the church, was blamed on militant ex-
branch, Vilayat Kavkaz, likely President Vladimir Putin had all five attackers were killed. according to Shamil Khadu- tremists. After the emergence
was behind the attack, de- sought to blame the March Of the 20 people killed, at layev, deputy head of a local of the Islamic State group,
scribing it as “complex and attack on Ukraine, again with- least 15 were police. public oversight body. The many residents of the region
coordinated.” out evidence and despite the Medical authorities in Dages- attack came as the Orthodox joined it in Syria and Iraq.q

A WHO official says the U.S.-built pier in Gaza not sufficient in

delivering aid to Palestinians

By AHMED HATEM and KA- the land routes to ensure The Israeli military’s ground
REEM CHEHAYEB the amount and the quan- offensives and bombard-
Associated Press tity and the efficiency.” ments, following Hamas’
CAIRO (AP) — The recon- The organization says that surprise attack on southern
nected U.S.-built pier off since Israel launched its Israel on Oct. 7, have killed
the coast of the Gaza Strip ground operation into Ra- over 37,600 people and
cannot supply Palestinians fah, aid delivery had de- wounded over 86,000 oth-
with anywhere near the clined by 67%, with over 50 ers, according to Gaza’s
level of aid they need, the WHO trucks stuck on the Health Ministry. Some 1.3
head of the World Health Egyptian side of the cross- million people displaced
Organization’s Eastern ing into the southern city. from the southern city of
Mediterranean region said Meanwhile, just three trucks Rafah, over half the strip’s
Monday. Dr. Hanan Balkhy were allowed into Gaza population, now shelter in
made the remarks after the through the Kerem Shalom tents and cramped apart-
U.S. military began deliver- crossing. ments in central Gaza.
ing aid through the floating Israel says it has allowed Hanan Balkhy, the head of the World Health Organization’s And despite some in-
pier again, after it was re- hundreds of truckloads of Eastern Mediterranean region, speaks during an interview with creased aid into north-
moved a second time be- aid through the crossing, the Associated Press in Cairo, Egypt, Monday, June 24, 2024. ern Gaza, experts say the
cause of rough seas. but says the U.N. has failed Associated Press enclave is at “high risk”
“The pier has supported a to pick it up. The U.N. says it now in its ninth month, con- criticized the plan to deliver of famine. Overcrowded
little bit, but it’s not to the is too dangerous for trucks tinues to face growing in- aid to Gaza by sea as inef- hospitals struggle to keep
scale that is needed by any to move through the area ternational criticism over fective and a distraction the lights on due to lack of
stretch of the imagination,” due to rampant lawless- widespread destruction in that has taken pressure off fuel and there are medi-
Balkhy told The Associated ness, despite Israeli pledges Gaza and a huge toll in ci- Israel to open land border cine shortages, while also
Press in an interview. “So to carve out a safe corridor. vilian lives. crossings that can deliver sheltering many displaced
we need to emphasize on Israel’s war against Hamas, Aid groups have regularly aid in larger numbers. Palestinians.q