ISIS tries to expand influence to Caucasus, Central Asia and Russia’s south


ISIS tries to expand influence to Caucasus, Central Asia and Russia’s south –

 TASS –  The Islamic State (IS) terrorist organization wants to expand its influence to the Caucasus, Central Asia and Russia’s southern regions, Commonwealth of Independent States (CIS) Anti-Terrorism Center (ATC) head General Colonel Andrey Novikov said on Wednesday.

“Territorial claims of IS in CIS include Azerbaijan, Armenia, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Uzbekistan, and Russia’s federal subjects in Southern, North Caucasian and Crimean federal districts,” Novikov told the 14th Meeting of heads of special services, security services and law enforcement agencies that opened in Russia’s Yaroslavl today.

“In this connection, it is relevant for competent agencies of CIS member countries to identify those citizens that participate and participate in the activity of illegal armed groups abroad, including IS, with the aim of timely preventing possible terrorist and extremist activities,” he noted. Novikov reminded that IS “managed to establish real control over several regions in Iraq and Syria over a short period of time and announce the creation of its own state.”

“Today, this international terrorist organization actively influences world politics, directly disrupts security not only in the Middle Eastern countries, but also other countries as well,” he stressed. “It represents a new mutation of international terrorism and combines features of organized armed grouping and aggressive jihadist ideology,” Novikov said.

The most important elements of these processes are intensifying recruitment activities and “internationalization” of terrorist groups by attracting foreign citizens, including from CIS countries, the ATC head concluded.


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