Russian President Vladimir Putin said at a meeting of leaders of the Shanghai Cooperation Council that the Islamic State intends to destabilize southern Russia, the Caucasus, and Central Asia.
“We have information that the IS has been making new plans to destabilize Central Asia and southern Russia,” he said. This is why, in Putin’s words, “there is a need to strengthen coordination between the SCO member states’ special services, particularly through the regional counterterrorism agency,” reported Russian state news agency TASS.
Putin added that this information was confirmed during the investigation of the metro blasts in St. Petersburg recently. “Besides, terrorists based in Afghanistan have been seeking to enter our countries which cause much concern,” he said.
“In order to defeat this scourge [terrorism], all countries should join their efforts for fair and meaningful cooperation based on international law.”
The Russian president called for an uncompromising attack on terrorism and also cooperation in rooting out the causes of extremism.
