Khloponin: Northern Caucasus has thousand of militants; half of them just "got lost"

The illegal armed formations (IAFs) in the North-Caucasian Federal District (NCFD) count about one thousand members; the number does not go down, because youngsters replenish it, said Alexander Khloponin, Plenipotentiary of Russian President in the NCFD, who is taking part in the sitting of the State Council held in the city of Ufa.

According to his story, half of the thousand members of the underground are the guys who just "got lost." "The trouble is not that they are a thousand strong. The problem is that they are liquidated, but still replenish their ranks. The second problem is that the average age of terrorists has gone down to 18 years. This is a big problem. They are no longer bearded fighters; they're Robin Hoods," said the Plenipotentiary.

Mr Khloponin expressed his confidence that the situation could be reversed already later this year, the ITAR-TASS reports.

Besides, he told reporters about the need to introduce personal responsibility of municipality heads, who fail to timely report about "the prosperity of underground gangs and extremism in their territories."I don't believe that in settlements inhabited by 500-600 persons the head of local self-government doesn't know who and in what house is doing what; where the praying rooms are, and who is doing what there and at what time. They don't give information; they're afraid that law enforcers will betray them. We need personal responsibility," the RIA "Novosti" quote Mr Khloponin as saying.

Earlier, in the course of the sitting of the State Council in Ufa the Plenipotentiary said that the terror act at the Moscow "Domodedovo" Airport on January 24 indicates "the trace of Dokku Umarov"; although the latter is not as influential as he is trying to present.

Mr Khloponin also noted that the militia of Kabardino-Balkaria, where now, as he said, "a serious struggle is on, failed the fight against militants." "Militiamen are just afraid. A car with no number plates runs, leaflets are disseminated; the work at the level of law enforcement bodies was failed," he said and recalled the recent resonant killings in the region, including the murder of the Mufti of the republic and the head of the Chegem District.