Chechen Capital of Grozny Attacked by Islamist Militants

The city of Grozny, the capital of the Russian republic of Chechnya, witnessed its worse violence in years as radical jihadists laid siege to the city and battled with police.

The Washington Post reports that the violence left at least 20 people dead. That toll consisted of 10 police officers, nine militants, and one civilian. At least 28 police officers were injured.

Early Thursday morning, the militants, who traveled in three separate cars, made their way into the city by attacking a police checkpoint, killing the three officers manning the location, according to the Post. The attackers then took control of a 10-story building and a local school. From there, they battled with police for hours.

The Post says that the school was empty of teachers and students at the time the attackers took control.

The police were eventually able to evict the fighters from the publishing house, killing six. Images from local media showed the publishing house being devoured by flames which were ignited during the fighting. The Post says the police were seen using heavy machine guns mounted on armored vehicles, and the authorities fired at least one rocket propelled grenade.

The Post notes that the timing of the attack may have been intended to embarrass Russian President Vladimir Putin. This is because the attack came hours before Putin was set to address the Russian people in their equivalent to a State of the Union address.  

While this is not the first violence that Chechnya has witnessed, it is certainly the most pronounced and bloody in recent memory. Chechnya was the site of bombings and attacks during the 1990s as the region sought independence from Russia after the fall of the Soviet Union. Putin is widely credited with stamping out the secessionist movement.