Dagestani MIA verifies fact of video threats against militants of Kizilyurt District, posted on Internet

The Internet has disseminated an appeal of a group of armed men, threatening militants and personally Temirbek, a certain "Amir of the Kizilyurt District of Dagestan" and calling on them to lay down their arms. The video record has caused widespread debate among web users. The Ministry of Internal Affairs (MIA) of Dagestan has begun to examine the video record, and it promises to punish under the law for extrajudicial executions.

Kizilyurt "Robin Hoods" urge militants to lay down their arms

The appeal to a certain Temirbek from the residents of the city of Kizilyurt and the Kizilyurt District of Dagestan the persons, speaking on the video record, identified themselves like that appeared on the video hosting YouTube on June 30.

The authors of the appeal seven athletic armed men in camouflage, who stand in the dark and hide their faces with black masks call on Temirbek to surrender to the authorities, promising otherwise to destroy him together with all his accomplices and property.

The three-minute video record bears an explanation that it is the "Appeal of Popular Front 'Robin Hoods'" to the leader of the militants of the Kizilyurt District. It should be noted that 17,650 persons watched the video record within a period of five days.

"We intend to restore order by our own efforts without the help of police, prosecutor's office and the FSB, since they are not able to do that by legal means. We have enough strengths and means to complete our noble ideas," state the men from the video record.

They stress that they know all Temirbek's accomplices and supporters, and they promise to destroy them, not touching members of their families, women and children.

"Police and FSB, we are your volunteers. If by chance we meet each other, let's depart peacefully. When all is completed, we will lay down arms," says one of the men, filmed on the video record.

Internet users recall similar groupings, acting in Northern Caucasus earlier

In the group of "Journalists of Dagestan" in the social network Facebook, commentators has recalled that such "anti-Wahhabis" are not the first grouping in Northern Caucasus, which members presents themselves as "people's guards", who declared themselves to be fighters against armed underground. According to participants of the discussions, their predecessors were the "Black Hawks" in Kabardino-Balkaria and the grouping of "Relatives of Dead Militiamen" in Dagestan.

"I believe that no one doubted the fact that the threats from 'relatives of dead militiamen' were backed by the secret services... They are not in vain repeat their threats with regard to property. I think the NAC (National Antiterrorist Committee) has decided to follow the Kadyrov's scenario, which Kadyrov (the author refers to the Chechen leader Ramzan Kadyrov, note of the "Caucasian Knot") took from the federal troops and which they took from the Israeli troops, and to burn houses, belonging to 'forest people' and their close relatives," writes a user under the nickname of Mon Siner.

"Wow, now the cops can do whatever they want, since there is someone to be blamed. Not we have killed, kidnapped, burned that was done by Robin Hoods)))..." believes Zarema Gasanova.

"There are three possible versions of origin of Kizilyurt 'Robin Hoods'. This may be a game of police or, most likely, of secret services, who are planning something. This may be a real formation, which wants to participate in the financial 'distribution'. Or this may be just a joke," believes Daizy Di.

Dagestani MIA intends to identify authors of video record

Officials from the Dagestani MIA told the "Caucasian Knot" correspondent that "police did not need volunteers, and arbitrariness and extrajudicial executions would be punished in under the law." At present, according to the press service of the MIA, the video record is under examination.

Islamic researcher Ruslan Gereev, Deputy General Director of the Dagestani newspaper "Nastoyaschee Vremya" (Real Time), also emphasizes that in Dagestan and in the Kabardino-Balkarian Republic, similar manifestations occurred earlier; however, he doubts "the involvement of power agencies and secret services in the grouping of 'Robin Hoods'."

"In such a region as Dagestan, where a huge number of different secret services, law enforcement and military agencies are deployed, there is simply no sense to carry out any 'Robin Hood' actions. We have legal agencies that can carry out any power actions to destroy members of the illegal armed formations (IAFs). Therefore, I see no reason for power agents to carry out such hidden actions," Ruslan Gereev has stated in his interview to the "Caucasian Knot" correspondent.

He has also emphasized that it is difficult to express, on what basis such "people's guards" could appear in Dagestan.