Spokesman: Over 400 Kyrgyz Nationals Fighting alongside Terrorists in Syria

Spokesman of the State Committee for National Security Rahat Suleymanov announced that more than 400 Kyrgyz nationals have joined the ISIL and other terrorist groups in Syria.

“Based on official information, at present, over 400 Kyrgyz citizens are fighting alongside the terrorist groups in Syria,” Suleymanov said on Sunday.

Noting that the Kyrgyz authorities have identified 50 extremist groups in the country and arrested 112 of their members since the start of the current year, he said 60 Kyrgyz citizens who had returned from the Syria war were also arrested and 12 terrorist attempts were foiled.

Suleymanov revealed that one of the main instruments used by the terrorist ringleaders to recruit forces is the social media and internet.

In September, the Kyrgyz interior ministry confirmed the killing of 45 Kyrgyz nationals in Iraq and Syria after they joined the ISIL Takfiri terrorists.

“45 Kyrgyz citizens had been killed in Iraq and Syria after their involvement in the ranks of the ISIL terrorist group,” the ministry announced.

“122 women and 83 children from Kyrgyzstan live in Iraq and Syria in areas controlled by the ISIL after they joined the terrorist group,” it added.

“63 Kyrgyz families have gone to Iraq and Syria and are still living there,” the ministry said.