Moscow: US recruiting Takfiri terrorists to carry out attacks in Russia, former Soviet republics

US forces deployed in Syria are recruiting and training dozens of Takfiri terrorists to carry out attacks in Russia and several other ex-Soviet states, Russia's intelligence agency says.

US forces are currently training at least 60 terrorists affiliated with the Daesh and Al-Qaeda Takfiri terrorist groups at al-Tanf military base, Russia's Foreign Intelligence Service (SVR) said in a statement on Monday.

It added that 60 such terrorists with combat experience in West Asiat were selected this year in January to be trained in the base, which is in an eponymous region in Syria's southern Homs province, near the borders with Iraq and Jordan, to allegedly conduct terror attacks in Russia and the Commonwealth of Independent States (CIS), including Russia.

"According to credible information received by the Russian Foreign Intelligence Service, the US military is actively recruiting militants from" Takfiri terrorist groups "affiliated with the Daesh and al-Qaeda to carry out terrorist attacks in Russia and CIS countries," the statement said, as cited by TASS.

Russia's intelligence agency went on to say that these terrorists were undergoing a fast-track training course and were being taught how to make and use improvised explosive devices, as well as subversive methods, at the base, which is a desert garrison.

"Particular emphasis is paid to planning attacks on heavily guarded facilities, including foreign diplomatic missions," the SVR statement further said., stressing that Washington was planning to send the 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," it added.

According to the SVR, terror attacks will be carried out in cooperation with clandestine cells of international terrorist factions, such as Hizb ut-Tahrir and Jamaat Ansarullah extremist groups (both outlawed in Russia).

The statement added that special attention was paid to the involvement of natives of the Russian North Caucasus and Central Asia, stressing that such schemes demonstrate the complete loss of any moral principles in the US security services.

MG