Prosecutor's Office counts almost 800 Chechnya residents among Syrian militants

According to the Chechen Prosecutor's Office, currently, 786 republic’s residents are at war against governmental troops in Syria; 607 of them have been put on the international wanted list. Relatives of those who left for the Middle East complain of constant pressure they feel from power agents.

The "Caucasian Knot" has reported that in January 2017, the republic's Ministry of Internal Affairs (MIA) estimated the number of Chechen fighters in Syria as over 600.

"These are the people, whose participation in Syrian warfare has been confirmed. In reality, there can be more Chechen natives in Syria and Iraq," said a source from the Chechen Prosecutor's Office.

A source from the Chechen MIA asserts that it is difficult to establish the departure of a potential militant to Syria, "As a rule, people travel to Syria secretly... Many of them first leave for Azerbaijan and Turkey."

Relatives of the young people who left for Syria explain their reluctance to turn to law enforcers by a high possibility of subsequent persecution of them.

"My daughter is in Syria with my grandchildren. She went there with her husband. At first, we thought that they were in Turkey, where my son-in-law had relatives engaged in business. When everything became known to power agents, our life became a nightmare. The daughter and the son-in-law were put on the wanted list. We are called for interrogations; and our phones are tapped," said Khava, a resident of Chechnya.

According to her story, after Chechen authorities began returning children and women from Iraq and Syria, there is a hope to see her daughter and grandchildren again.

Full text of the article is available on the Russian page of 24/7 Internet agency ‘Caucasian Knot’.