MAKHACHKALA, March 10 – RIA "Dagestan". More than 2,500 armed militants have been eliminated and approximately 5,000 of their accomplices detained in the Northern Caucasus since 2006, Alexander Bortnikov, chairman of the National Anti-Terrorism Committee, said in an interview with Rossiyskaya Gazeta.
Bortnikov noted that many of the militants were well-armed and had received extended training in foreign camps under experienced instructors. This statement comes as the National Anti-Terrorism Committee marks its 20th anniversary.
The NAC was established on March 10, 2006, as the central coordinating body within Russia's counter-terrorism system, overseeing interagency cooperation in preventing and responding to terrorist threats across the country.