Russia launches hotline to prevent people from joining Daesh

A telephone hotline aimed at preventing people from joining the militant Islamic State (IS) group has been launched in Russia, the country's Civic Chamber announced Monday.

Russians, who fear that their family members could be under the threat of being recruited by the IS, can address their concerns to the State Civic Chamber by phone or in writing, the Chamber's press service said.

The Chamber will review all the requests in coordination with professional psychologists, National Anti-Terrorist Committee of Russia and law enforcement agencies.

According to Russian authorities, some 2,000 Russian citizens are currently fighting for the IS.

The National Anti-Terrorist Committee said Sunday that Russian police killed eight militants who had sworn allegiances to the IS in northern Caucasus.

On Saturday, a 26-year-old student from northern Caucasus was detained in Turkey as he was attempting to cross the border to Syria, allegedly to join the IS.

In June, a 19-year-old female Russian student, who was suspected of trying to cross into Syria to joint the IS, was detained on the Turkish-Syrian border.