Chechen special forces kill 3 militants said to have returned recently from Syria after training with ISIL

Special forces in Chechnya have killed three militants who are said to have returned recently from Syria, where they received training from ISIL, according to an announcement today by Ramzan Kadyrov, the republic's ruler.

"The same thing awaits anyone who even entertains the thought of plotting against Chechnya and the Russian Federation," Kadyrov said.

Kadyrov says the special operation was carried out by local security forces in cooperation with the regional office of Russia's Federal Security Service. No one was injured, except for the three militants who were killed, Kadyrov said.