MOSCOW, September 3 (RIA Novosti) - The Islamic State terrorist group has released a video containing a threat to start a war in Russia’s Chechen Republic and the whole Caucasus region, Al Arabiya television channel reported.
The footage shows an insurgent speaking from a fighter’s cockpit at the al-Tabaka Airbase near the city of Raqqa, Syria, claiming that the extremist group is going to “liberate” the Chechen Republic, which is a part of Russia, and the Caucasus.
The insurgents also threatened Syrian President Bashar Assad to launch air strikes against the government’s forces.
In late August, ISIS reportedly captured al-Tabaka, once a stronghold of Syrian government troops in the country’s north. The jihadists may have seized heavy weapons, tanks, aircraft and other hardware.
The ISIS insurgent group, an al-Qaeda offshoot, has been fighting the Syrian government since 2012, acquiring a notorious reputation for its brutality.
In 2014, the organization launched an offensive on Iraq, capturing vast areas, including major cities and oilfields. In late June, the ISIS proclaimed an Islamic caliphate in its controlled areas.
