Russian diplomat says nearly 3,000 IS members are operating in Syria

Around 3,000 members of the Islamic State (IS) terrorist organization (banned in Russia) and their supporters are operating in Syria at the moment, Russia's deputy permanent representative to the United Nations Gennady Kuzmin said at the session of the UN Security Council on combating terrorism, Trend reports citing TASS.

"At the moment, there are around 3,000 IS members and their supporters in Syria," Kuzmin said. "Moreover, many other terrorist groups are operating in Syria as well, most notably Jebhat al-Nusra [banned in Russia]," he added.

"Over 1,500 militants have returned from combat zones to places of their permanent residence or arrived to other settlements under the guise of internally displaced persons," the diplomat noted.