Fights in Ingushetia

On June 21 at 10:45 the Ingush towns Nazran, Karabulak and Sleptsovsk were attacked by groups of armed fighters. The beginning of the raid coincided with the time for night namaz and continued till 3 a.m., the time of pre-dawn prayer.

In Nazran the fighters simultaneously attacked 8 objects, including the buildings of, Ministry of Internal Affairs (MVD), District department of Internal Affairs (ROVD), Municipal department of Internal Affairs (GUVD), Federal Security Service (FSB), Department for Combat of Organized Crime (RUBOP), the military base of frontier troops, local temporary detainment facility.

The assault started after the signal fire by one of the fighters from the tunnel near Nazran railway station. Very quickly the combatants seized most of the check points, located at crossroads, which allowed them to get hold of all major thoroughfares, and streets. The groups included Chechens, Ingushis, and Russians. They were dressed in camouflage uniforms; their faces and beards were covered by masks. The fighters used grenades and rockets. They stopped all the passing by cars, presented themselves as the personnel of Military Intelligence Service (GRU), and Special Forces (Spetsnaz), and checked everybody's IDs. Ingush civilians used to road check ups by persons in masks (the power agencies regularly carry out special operations in such a fashion) presented their documents. Those, who showed IDs of representatives of power agencies, were shot dead on the spot. The fighters were particularly interested in the personnel of Unit of Militia for Special Assignments (OMON), FSB and UBOP. Some of the rank-and file militiamen were set free. There were cases when they were beaten up, forced to swear on Koran that they would give up work for power agencies (the fighters filmed their oaths) and then set free.

Apart from setting checkpoints the fighters attacked buildings of military and law enforcement agencies. The building of frontier troops, mainly manned by the Russian federal servicemen and some Ingushis was set on fire. The upper two floors were entirely burnt. Allegedly, tens of servicemen were killed.

Fighters occupied the city flour mill (one of the tallest buildings in Nazran). There is evidence that armed guerillas had their headquarters there. From the mill the buildings of FSB and MVD were subjected to fire. The buildings of MVD and UBOP at Kunaeva street were attacked from several points, including the mosque and the mill. Both buildings were damaged. According to the representatives of law enforcement agencies, the fighters managed to get into the yard, but failed to seize the MVD/UBOP buildings. Allegedly, before retreat the fighters tried to enter the mosque, but they were not allowed in by the local religious authorities.

The building of ROVD was captured and blown up. ROVD personnel lost 9 persons killed. The detainees of ROVD were set free.

The fighters tried to storm Nazran temporary detainment facility. They failed and had to retreat.

The building of GUVD1 was likewise unsuccessfully stormed. There were victims among the militiamen. The crossfire in this area was very intense.

The fighters occupied the storage with ammunition in the area of Kommunalnaya bus stop. Allegedly, two or three days before the operation, the warehouse received 2 big containers with weapon and ammunition. The guards, who were in the storage, were disarmed. The combatants decided not to kill them. However, they killed the deputy minister of internal affairs Ziyautdin Kotiev, who arrived at the site. The combatants captured 3 trucks of weapons: two URAL and one KAMAZ trucks. Along with guns they took military uniform.

Allegedly throughout the operation two Gazel minibuses were shuttling the city. Possibly these cars were brining ammunition to the combatants.

There were many victims at Ekzhevo crossroad, central entrance to Nazran from the federal highway Baku-Rostov. The fighters killed Kostoev Abukar, the executive minister of interior, his brother Kostoev Kharon, the head of minister's security service, and their cousin Kostoev Alikhan, the officer of UBOP; Buzurtanov Mukharbek, the prosecutor of Narzan, Oziev Bilan, the prosecutor of Nazran district, Malsagov Mukharbek, the head of federal post service in Ingushetia, Ugurchiev Adam, the officer of UBOP and his father. According to a traffic policemen Aklhilgov Il'ez, at least two of his colleagues were killed at the same checkpoint. I'lez himself survived because the fighters could not find his ID. When they failed to find his documents, they set him free. 5-9 officers of OMON from Kursk, who were driving from North Osetia by two cars, were killed. Possibly the militiamen who were on duty at checkpoint were also shot dead.

At the crossroad of Chechenskaya and Kartoeva streets with the road leading to Kantyshevo village 4 blown up cars and 7-10 burnt copses were found. Among them were identified Adam Arapiev, the deputy prosecutor of Nazran, Timur Getagazov, the investigator of republican prosecution, Yusup Chaniev, an OMON officer and Aslan Nal'giev, the director of Nazran market. According to the guards of the market, Nalgiev showed his ID of the market director; however, the fighters did not read into the ID and opened fire.

The fighters controlled the crossroad of Rostov-Baku highway and the road leading from Nazran to Magas. There was killed an officer of UBOP Abukar Khaniev.

At the crossroad of Oskanova and Bazorkina streets was killed Ruslan Evloev, an officer of federal security service. An armed personnel carrier was blown up there; the servicemen inside it were killed.

At the crossroad of highway Rostov-Baku and road to village Nesterovskaja village at least three Russian military servicemen were killed.

At the crossroad of highway Rostov-Baku and road leading to Ingush airport a driver of municipal prosecution and two MVD servicemen, brothers Katsievs, (cousins of "Memorial" lawyer, Suleiman Katsiev) were killed.

At the crossroad of highway Rostov-Baku and road to village Yandare the militiamen on duty resisted the fighters. However, they were killed. The exact number of the killed is unknown. In the proximity of this checkpoint the corpses of two fighters were found next morning.

Among killed officials were also the representative of migration service Gireev Magomed and the head of the 7th department of MVD Tutaev Daud.

At 11:12 p.m. the first injured people started to arrive to Nazran municipal hospital. By early morning 45 injured were brought there, 15 them are in extensive care ward. The civilians with injuries continue to turn to the hospital for help.

In Karabulak, the second largest town in Ingushetia, the combatants attacked the base of OMON and the local GUVD. A temporary residence center of Chechen IDPs from Grozny "Kooperator" was subjected to grenade fire and badly damaged. All the windows of the house were broken, the bullets were falling inside of the room where the people were sleeping, the walls and the doorways were destroyed. The attack on OMON stopped at 3 p.m. Five minutes later the fire ceased at the building of GUVD.

According to the representatives of law enforcement agencies during the entire attack, which lasted for four hours, no help arrived from the federal forces, either from federal military bases in North Osetia or from Chechnya. According to their accounts, a long column of federal armed military vehicles arrived to the border of Ingushetia and North Osetia by 2 a.m. The personnel of Ingush MVD, who reside in Prigorodny District of North Osetia got there at the same time. However, the federal servicemen blocked their way to Nazran. The federal units remained at the border, 3-5 minutes drive from Nazran until morning, when the fighters retreated. Early in the morning this unit moved in the direction of the Republican capital Magas, where there were no serious fights. Later it became known that President Putin arrived to Magas for a meeting with the Ingush officials.