Daesh Militants Transfered From Pakistan to Tajikistan - Russian Official

Earlier, Col. Gen. Andrey Novikov, the head of the Commonwealth of Independent States Anti-Terrorism Center said that Daesh* terrorists were gaining a new foothold for its troops' deployment in Afghanistan and Pakistan instead of the territories lost in Syria and Iraq.

Unidentified helicopters transported a large number of Daesh* terrorists from Pakistan to the border with Tajikistan, close to Russia's southern borders, Russian Deputy Interior Minister Igor Zubov said on Monday. Pakistan and Tajikistan are separated by Afghanistan's Wakhan Corridor region.

According to the Russian minister, there may be some preparations for a provocation that may affect Russia.

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"Daesh fighters in massive quantities were transported from Pakistani territory to the border with Tajikistan. In that area, perhaps, the militants might stage massive provocations that would result in huge amounts of refugees fleeing the territory. This would have an impact on Russia," Zubov said.

This comes after earlier Col. Gen. Andrey Novikov, the head of the Commonwealth of Independent States Anti-Terrorism Centre, stated that Daesh terrorists were being transported to Afghanistan and Pakistan after facing defeat in Syria and Iraq.

Last year, the Syrian Arab News Agency reported that US helicopters evacuated Daesh leaders from several areas across the Syrian province of Deir ez-Zor to the country's northeast. The US-led coalition, in turn, denied all accusations.

*Daesh (ISIL/ISIS/Islamic State/IS), a terrorist group banned in Russia and a wide number of other countries.