Russian FSB warns of terrorist threat in Russia, Abkhazia, and South Ossetia

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Situation around South Ossetia may provoke increased activity of international terrorists in Russia, Abkhazia, and South Ossetia. Chairman of National Anti-Terrorist Committee (NAC), Director of Russian FSB Alexander Bortnikov informed at a briefing in Volgograd, where exercises of SCO member countries' special forces took place.

Bortnikov already made similar statements before. Aug 28, REGNUM reported him to inform at a meeting with heads of regional anti-terrorist committees that international terrorists are indending to use the complicated situation in the North Caucasus to set up terrorist acts in Russia. “We have a lot of concrete evidence indicating that international terrorist ofganizations attempt to penetrate territory of South Ossetia and Abkhazia, the territory of the Russian Federation to set up these acts,” Bortnikov announced.

Sep 4, a concluding stage of command and staff exercise “Volgograd-Anti-Terror-2008” was held. Alexander Bortnikov positively assessed action of participants who were charged with liquidation of a group of fictitious terrorists. He said the exercises' plan was fulfilled and all participants managed to carry out their task. “Experience gained in the exercises will be thoroughly analyzed. We have taken the right development course. Training and exercises of such format will help improve cooperation of all agents of anti-terrorist activity of SCO member countries and effective multilateral development,” Bortnikov stated.

The day before, a summit of heads of anti-terrorist departments of security agencies and special forces of SCO member countries convened as part of the “Volgograd-Anti-Terror-2008” exercises. Representatives of security and anti-terrorist agencies of Kazakhstan, China, Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan, Uzbekistan, and Russia attended the conference. Heads of security agencies of Pakistan, Iran, and Belarus participated the conference and exercises as observers.

The joint strategic operational command and staff exercise “Volgograd-Anti-Terror-2008” was held in the territories of SCO member countries Aug 18-Sep 4, 2008. It was coordinated by the NAC.