MOSCOW, February 13. /TASS/. The US is recruiting jihadist fighters to carry out terrorist attacks on the territory of Russia and the CIS countries, the press bureau of the Russia's Foreign Intelligence Service (SVR) told TASS on Monday.
"According to credible information received by the Russian Foreign Intelligence Service, the US military is actively recruiting militants from jihadist groups affiliated with the Islamic State (IS, a terrorist organization outlawed in Russia - TASS) and al-Qaeda (banned in Russia - TASS) to carry out terrorist attacks in Russia and CIS countries," the statement said.
Sixty such terrorists with combat experience in the Middle East were selected this year in January.
According to the SVR, they are undergoing a fast-track training course at the US base in Syria’s Al-Tanf, where they are being taught how to make and use improvised explosive devices, as well as subversive methods. "Particular emphasis is paid to planning attacks on heavily guarded facilities, including foreign diplomatic missions," the Foreign Intelligence Service said.
The SVR stressed that the US was planning to send terrorists in small groups. "In the near future, there are plans to deploy militants in small groups to the territory of Russia and the CIS countries. They will be tasked with plotting and carrying out terrorist attacks against diplomats, civil servants, law enforcement agents and servicemen," the statement said. According to the US plot, they will conduct this scheme in cooperation with clandestine cells of international terrorist groups, such as Hizb ut-Tahrir, Jamaat Ansarullah and the Islamic Movement of Uzbekistan (outlawed in Russia).
The SVR also reported that special attention was paid to the involvement of natives of the Russian North Caucasus and Central Asia. All this demonstrates the complete loss of any moral principles in the US security services. "Obsessed with the insane idea of ’exsanguinating’ Russia, Washington’s experts consider it acceptable to use terrorists directly for their own dirty purposes. Such actions put Washington on a par with major international terrorist groups," the SVR concluded.