MOSCOW, March 31. /TASS/. The North Caucasus still remains a hotbed of terrorism in Russia, First Deputy Chief of the country’s National Guard Colonel-General Sergei Melikov said in an interview with TASS.
Unfortunately, the North Caucasus republics remain a hotbed of terrorist activity in our country," he affirmed. "In 2016, National Guard servicemen eliminated 125 militants, including roughly ten leaders of outlawed armed groups. Besides, more than 300 militants’ facilities were destroyed in the North Caucasus Federal District," he added.
According to Melikov, a large number of Russian citizens were caught trying to leave the country in order to join international terror groups and take part in military activities in the Middle East.
The National Guard, marking its first anniversary on April 5, has significant experience in fighting terrorism and extremism, the general stressed. "OMON and SOBR special purpose police units of the Interior Ministry, that joined the National Guard, had been cooperating with the Interior Ministry troops for many years, so they are capable of effectively tackling these assignments," Melikov emphaszied.
According to him, all the tasks the country’s authorities and the National Counterterrorism Committee set before the National Guard in 2016 have been fully carried out.