Uzbekistan helped Russia to capture ISIS-related groups - Bortnikov

The State Security Service of Uzbekistan has provided information leading to the identification of 15 members of ISIS-related groups in Russia this year, according to Alexander Bortnikov, head of the Russian Federal Security Service (FSS). Bortnikov discussed these developments on October 4 during the Council of Heads of Security and Special Services of the Commonwealth of Independent States (CIS) meeting in Astana, Kazakhstan.

"In July of this year, based on intelligence from Uzbekistan's State Security Service, the Russian FSS neutralized the activities of 10 militants from the interregional cell of the international terrorist organization ‘Khurasan region’," Bortnikov stated.

He further explained that with the assistance of their Uzbek counterparts, Russian authorities apprehended five members of ISIS and Hay'at Tahrir al-Sham, who were involved in recruiting new militants and financing terrorist activities in Russia.

Additionally, Bortnikov noted that with support from Tajikistan's State Committee for National Security, four individuals wanted for extremist activities on an international scale were arrested in Russia.

The 55th meeting of the Council of Heads of Security and Special Services of CIS countries took place earlier in Kazakhstan. The event saw participation from Abdusalom Azizov, chairman of Uzbekistan's State Security Service, Ermek Sagimbaev, chairman of Kazakhstan's National Security Committee, Sergey Naryshkin, director of Russia's Foreign Intelligence Service, Alexander Bortnikov, director of the FSS, Saymomin Yatimov, head of Tajikistan's State Committee for National Security, Ali Nagiev, head of Azerbaijan's State Security Service, and delegations from Armenia, Belarus, as well as representatives of the CIS Executive Committee and the CIS Anti-Terrorism Center. At the meeting, Bortnikov also mentioned that Russia is nearing the conclusion of its review of removing the Taliban from the list of terrorist organizations.