Russian Security Forces Kill Alleged ISIS Militants

Russian Forces - Photo by Reuters

Russian authorities announced that its security forces had killed eight terrorists having affiliation with Islamic State (ISIS), after a firefight in the North Caucasus region, west of Chechnya, reported by AFP

Russia's National Anti-Terrorism Committee (NAC) made the announcement on Sunday evening after Russian forces ambushed the militants early on Sunday morning in the southern republic of Ingushetia.

"According to information available to the security services, the militants killed in the operation had recently pledged allegiance and became members of the Islamic State international terrorist organization. All of them were complicit in a number of crimes of a terrorist nature, including the killings of law enforcement officers and the extortion of money from entrepreneurs," the statement from the NAC said.

One of the men killed during the fight, Adam Tagilov, was said to be the leader of the group. Tagilov was suspected of being behind the December 4 terror attacks in the city of Grozny in Chechnya, according to the NAC.

ISIS declared its intention to expand its 'Caliphate' into the North Caucasus region of Russia in June, following a pledge of allegiance by the Caucasus Emirate, a large militant group based primarily in south-western Russia which was formally affiliated with al-Qaeda.