MOSCOW, December 10. /TASS/. The Islamic State organization is currently turning into a key element of radical Islam in the Middle East and has a tendency towards further growth, Chief of the Russian General Staff General Valery Gerasimov said on Wednesday at a meeting with military attaches of a number of countries.
According to him, the critical problem now is countering the organization’s activity. “According to our estimates, the Islamic State formations operating in Syria and Iraq now comprise up to 70,000 gunmen of various nationalities,” said the chief of the Russian General Staff.