Eleven IS-linked militants killed in Russia's North Caucasus
Xinhua, November 22, 2015 Adjust font size:
Eleven militants from a gang loyal to the Islamic State (IS) terrorist group were killed in an operation in Russia's North Caucasus, the National Counter-Terrorism Committee said on Sunday.
The committee said that 11 militants, all members of an IS-linked group, were killed after hours-long exchange of gun fire.
Early Sunday morning, Russian special forces launched a counter-terror operation in a forest near Nalchik, capital of the Republic of Kabardino-Balkaria, where they spotted a gang of militants.
No casualties of the especial unit were officially reported.
Concerns about security in Russia have been mounting since Moscow launched its air campaign against IS targets in Syria late September at the request of Syrian President Bashar al-Assad.
In response, the extremists released earlier this month a Russian-language video clip threatening attacks and bloodshed "in the nearest future" in Russia.
Russia has tightened security measures across the country after the deadly terrorist attacks in Paris last Friday, in which at least 129 people were killed, with more than 300 injured.
Moscow has vowed to find and punish those involved in the Oct. 31 Russian plane crash over Egypt's Sinai Peninsula, which the Russian Federal Security Service had attributed to a terrorist attack. Endi