Up to 50,000 militants fight for Islamic State - Patrushev
MOSCOW. Sept 26 (Interfax) - Up to 50,000 militants are fighting within the ranks of the Islamic State terrorist organization, Russian Security Council Secretary Nikolai Patrushev has said.
"The Islamic State, which is now controlling some parts of Iraq and Syria, is becoming stronger. According to various estimates, from 30,000 to 50,000 militants are fighting under its banners today," he said at a meeting of the Security Council secretaries of CIS member countries on Friday.
The Islamic State is already acting as a challenge to the national security of many countries, Patrushev said.
"The armed units of the Islamic State have received good combat training and are notorious for their cruelty," he added.
"Supporters of radical Islam from the Middle East regions, European Union countries, the U.S. and CIS states are joining" the extremists who are fighting in Syria and Iraq, Patrushev said.
