MOSCOW. Oct 17 (Interfax) - The guarding of imprisoned ISIL (banned in Russia) militants in the region east of the Euphrates raises big questions following the start of the Turkish military operation in Syria, Russian Foreign Ministry spokesperson Maria Zakharova said.
"The issue of the guarding of imprisoned ISIL militants who are held in prisons in the region east of the Euphrates and members of their families raises big concerns. They are in camps for internally displaced people, including al-Hawl, which has a population of 70,000," Zakharova said at a briefing on Thursday.
"They pose a threat not only to Syria but also to the other countries of the region, as well as outside it," she said.
Terrorists have used the escalation of the tension in the region to activate a network of sleeper cells, Zakharova said.