Over 50 militants killed in Russia since start of 2013

Russian law enforcement agencies have killed over 50 militants this year, National Anti-Terror Committee (NAC) chief Alexander Bortnikov said Tuesday. During a NAC meeting in the city of Pyatigorsk in the country's North Caucasus region, Bortnikov said poor economic conditions in that region facilitated spreading of extremist ideas. Besides those killed, 66 militants were arrested by law enforcement officers, said the official. Bortnikov said the disturbing trend has been overflowing from North Caucasus even to distant regions in the Urals, Siberia and Volga. "On the background of the social-economic problems in the region the radical Islamists ideas have been spreading out. They are disguised under slogans of fight for real faith and justice," he said. Bortnikov proposed a shift of the focus of anti-terror operations from forceful actions to the extremism-prevention policy, with the aim of getting young extremists to a normal life. "We should act entirely within the legal field," he demanded. According to Bortnikov, local authorities succeeded in persuading over 60 militants to lay down their arms in January and February.