Group of gunmen neutralized in Chechnya was tied to ISIL - Kadyrov
MOSCOW. Jan 12 (Interfax) - A group of terrorists recently neutralized in Chechnya was closely tied to ISIL (a terrorist group banned in Russia), head of Chechnya Ramzan Kadyrov said in a telephone interview with Interfax on Thursday.
"Of course, the connection was close and concrete. This is beyond any doubt," Kadyrov said when asked whether the group had been somehow tied to ISIL.
"There is incontrovertible proof of this: there have been telephone conversations and messages containing instructions and orders. Our operatives kept all this under control," he said.
"We won't stop at eliminating this group. It's necessary to neutralize this scum that has hidden its head in Syria and is fouling far outside it. The root must be pulled out and dried. I think we'll manage this," he said.
Kadyrov views the special operation as a great success of local law enforcement agencies.
"In this case, the terrorists were neutralized before starting to fulfill their plans. We couldn't have waited any longer. They planned grave and high-profile crimes. After the entire organization was revealed, it was nailed before they could commit any evil," Kadyrov said.
"The order was to commit simultaneous killings of public officials, members of law enforcement agencies and administrations, and the clergy," Kadyrov said. He described the operation as an exemplary one in terms of its planning and implementation.
Kadyrov had said earlier that four gunmen had been killed in a special operation in Chechnya.
A source from North Caucasus Federal District security agencies said to Interfax that several dozen gunmen closely associated with ISIL were killed or detained in a large-scale special operation.
"Several dozen thugs, including accomplices, have been detained," he said.
"An entire criminal underworld network closely tied to ISIL has been uncovered," the source said, adding that, based on information possessed by security forces, one of its members is still at large.
The operation was conducted in the Kurchaloi district and in several communities of the Shali district, the source said.