Terrorist organizations of various sorts remain the main threat to the stability of the Middle East and North Africa region, Russian Defense Minister Army General Sergei Shoigu said at the Moscow Conference on International Security.
"After the defeat of ISIS (the old name of the Islamic State terrorist group banned in Russia - TASS) in Syria and Iraq, the migration of trained fighters to other countries intensified. The largest number of them moved to Libya," Shoigu said.
According to him, terrorist cells are showing activity in Mali, the Central African Republic and Mozambique.
According to the minister's assessment, attempts continue to involve terrorist groups "for the so-called democratization of the sovereign system of power in certain countries, reviving neocolonialism and gaining control over natural resources."
"Using terrorists as an instrument of political influence is a very dangerous game. The example of Syria provides many facts about how terrorists with combat experience have used their skills to prepare terrorist attacks in their historic homeland," Shoigu said.
GSV "Russia - Islamic World"
Photo: official website of the President of the Russian Federation
Based on materials from TASS