1,700 Russians Are Fighting For The Islamic State

Defendant Magomed Z., a Russian national from Chechnya accused of fighting with Islamic State, is led into court for the start of his trial in Krems, Austria, January 22, 2015. Heinz-Peter Bader/Reuters

Newsweek: Up to 1,700 Russians Fighting for ISIS, Says Head of Secret Service

As many as 1,700 Russian citizens could be fighting for jihadist groups in Iraq, Russia’s head of federal security (FSB) has said during a U.S.-chaired summit against violent extremism in Washington DC, Russian news service RIA Novosti reported today.

“We need to invigorate our efforts to prevent these departures and alongside other countries we need to do all that is necessary not to allow terrorist threats or attacks once these citizens return,” Alexander Boratnikov, director of the FSB said.

WNU Editor: For as long as I can remember .... Russia has always had a problem with radical Islamists in the predominantly Muslim regions of the Caucasus. I am surprised that there are only 1,700 with ISIS ... I expected more.