Relatives of militants killed in Shali leave city after rally

On January 30, Shali hosted a rally of citizens, who demanded to evict the families of the killed militants out of the republic, the city administration has reported. The rally was attended by several hundred people.

The "Caucasian Knot" has reported that last night two policemen were killed in the Chechen town of Shali. After the attack, a counterterrorist operation (CTO) was conducted, as a result of which three alleged attackers were killed; and the police have also confirmed that two civilians were wounded. According to the Chechen Ministry of Internal Affairs (MIA), the killed militants were Yunus Mukaev, Sidik Dargaev and Beshto Emediev, while their actions were commanded by Magomed Rashidov, a native of Shali, who is in Syria for three years as a member of the "Islamic State" (IS) banned in Russia. After the CTO, law enforcers detained relatives of Mukaev, Dargaev and Emediev.

"People were unanimous in their demand to evict the families of the murdered criminals out of the city. People wouldn't like them to live in Shali," an employee of the city administration told the "Caucasian Knot" correspondent.

According to locals, the males from the families of the militants killed in Shali at night on January 30 have already left their houses.

However, some of Shali residents believe that relatives of dead militants should not be held responsible for their actions.

"This rally, like the previous one, was organized by the authorities. Over 50,000 live in our city; and the rally was attended by one thousand at most; and they have decided, on behalf of the entire city, to evict militants' families. I am categorically against this decision. Parents should not respond for actions of their sons – there's no such law," a local resident named Zaindi told the "Caucasian Knot" correspondent.

Full text of the article is available on the Russian page of 24/7 Internet agency ‘Caucasian Knot’.