Islamic State Reportedly Threatens War In Russia's Caucasus

Russian media reports say Islamic State militants, in a video published online, have threatened to start a war in Chechnya and other provinces of Russia's mostly Muslim North Caucasus.

Russian media say the video, with a Russian translation, was published by Saudi-funded pan-Arab satellite TV channel Al-Arabiya.

Russia's NTV channel, in its report, included an excerpt from the video. It shows a militant speaking from the cockpit of a fighter jet at a military airstrip the militants have seized in northern Syria.

The NTV report quotes him as saying the militants plan to "free" Chechnya and the Caucasus "with the mercy of God."

The militants also reportedly threatened to start using jets in their attacks.

Chechen leader Ramzan Kadyrov responded he had already given an order to track down the person in the video and "send him to a place from which he will never return."

"We have some good guys who can penetrate any place on the globe where bandits are threatening our country," he said.

Based on reporting by ntv.ru, vedomosti.ru, RIA Novosti