MOSCOW, November 12. /TASS/. Russian prosecutors have asked the Supreme Court to include the Islamic State (IS) and al-Qaeda-linked Jabhat al-Nusra in the list of terrorist organizations.
“The relevant request has been submitted to the court and is to be considered by a judge,” the press service of Russia’s highest court said in a statement. The date of the hearing on the issue is to be announced in the coming days. The current blacklist consists of around 20 terrorist organizations, whose activities are banned in the country.
The Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant, which has been fighting against the government in Syria since 2012, launched an offensive in Iraq this June, seizing vast areas in both countries and proclaiming a new “caliphate.” In late June, the group removed "Iraq and the Levant" from its name and started referring to itself as the "Islamic State."
Jabhat al-Nusra, also known as al-Nusra Front, is operating in Syria and Lebanon.