Key Facts
- Duration of siege
- ~20 hours (21–22 November 2017)
- Militants involved
- 4 Chechen armed men
- Militants killed
- 3, including Akhmed Chatayev
- Militant arrested
- 1
- Law enforcement casualties
- 1 killed, 4 wounded
Strategic Narrative Overview
On 21 November 2017, Georgian police and counter-terrorist units surrounded the flat on Gabriel Salosi Street and initiated a confrontation with the armed group. The stand-off lasted approximately 20 hours, during which the militants resisted arrest. Gunfire was exchanged between the security forces and the occupants of the flat throughout the siege, with both sides sustaining casualties before the operation concluded on 22 November 2017.
01 / The Origins
In November 2017, Georgian security services identified a cell of four Chechen militants operating from a flat on Gabriel Salosi Street in the Isani district of Tbilisi. The group was led by Akhmed Chatayev, a former Islamic State officer. According to Georgian security officials, the cell was planning coordinated terrorist attacks against foreign diplomatic missions in both Georgia and Turkey, prompting authorities to move against them before the attacks could be carried out.
03 / The Outcome
By the end of the siege, three of the four militants, including Akhmed Chatayev, had been killed. One militant was taken into custody. On the Georgian security forces' side, one counter-terrorist officer was killed and four law enforcement personnel were wounded. The planned terrorist attacks against diplomatic missions were disrupted, and the immediate threat posed by this particular cell was eliminated.
Belligerents & Mobilization Analysis
Side A
1 belligerent
Akhmed Chatayev.
Side B
1 belligerent
Kinetic Engagement Axis
Scroll horizontally to view full axis. Events plotted relatively.