Kadyrov intends to visit Assad in Syria
Ramzan Kadyrov, the Head of the Chechen Republic, intends to visit Syria in the near future at the invitation of Syrian President Bashar al-Assad, Grani reported. "President Assad has invited me to visit twice. It's just there is no time for travel. But I definitely want to go," Kadyrov said in an interview with RIA Novosti.
When asked whether it will happen before the September elections, the head of Chechnya, Kadyrov, replied "For now I perform my duties so that my license won't be taken away." According to Kadyrov, he was in Damascus once, before the war.
Representatives of the Syrian opposition visited Chechnya earlier to ‘exchange experiences.’ “They came as guests for consultation and to generate shared experiences. Experience exchange: you've been through it all, what should we do," Kadyrov said.
"I asked them ‘what are you doing? Is this the way to come to power? To kill your own people for power?’ Syria was a normal democratic state. I asked why it wasn’t enough. They said yes, yes, we did not expect that, we were used, we were misled. The opposition has its own personal ambitions. I believe that they should be told our mission is over, now you need to go home or to another place. Then it will be easier.' If there is something human in them," Kadyrov said. He did not specify which particular Syrian opposition group sent representatives to Chechnya.
Last Friday Kadyrov said that the majority of those natives of Chechnya who fought in Syria for the Islamic State were killed. "Because the Arabs who are fighting there and other nationalities were always putting them in front of the others, using them as cannon fodder. To the Chechens they say ‘you've practiced, you have experience, go Chechens, fight.’"
He added that it is rare for a citizen to travel abroad to fight. "We control everyone. Rarely does someone leave the country to take part in a war," Kadyrov said.
On February 8th, Kadyrov said in an interview with Russia-1 channel that agents of the Chechen special services work as part of the so-called Islamic State. "Russia didn't know. I didn't know either that the organization would be called the Islamic State. There was information that some terrorist groups were being prepared. The instructors there were from the NATO countries. Intelligence agents from Chechnya have been planted into these camps. I specifically sent my people to see how much of this is true. Our guys went there, took part in training on NATO bases," the head of Chechnya said.
According to him, these people went voluntarily "to protect Russia from its enemies from distant lands."