MOSCOW (Reuters) -Russian media reported that Russian special forces freed two prison guards and killed six ISIS-linked inmates. The incident occurred at a detention center in Rostov, southern Russia, on Sunday.
State media reported that several of the men were convicted of terrorism offenses and had ties to ISIS. The group had claimed responsibility for a deadly attack on a Moscow concert hall in March.
The six hostage takers, one wearing an Islamic State flag headband, escaped through knocked-out window bars. They descended several floors using ropes, then held guards hostage with a knife and fire axe.
Video from the 112 Telegram channel showed someone wielding a knife near a bound guard in Rostov-on-Don. In negotiations with the authorities, they demanded free passage out of the prison.
Russian special forces opted to storm the prison, resulting in intense gunfire heard in footage from Russian Telegram channels. The 112 Telegram channel released video showing the six deceased men lying in pools of blood.
“The criminals were eliminated,” Russia’s Federal Penitentiary Service said in a statement, which said a “special operation” had taken place to free the hostages.
According to Russian media, Russian forces identified the hostage takers as originating from Russia’s southern republic of Ingushetia, with three of them detained in 2022 for planning an attack on a court in another Russian republic, Karachay-Cherkessia.
Moreover, it highlights the strategic importance of preemptive and decisive action in combating terrorism.
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