Russian special forces deployed a weaponised drone to take out an ISIS warlord who was behind a wave of deadly bombings in Russia.
Anti-terror officers used a drone equipped with machine guns to kill Rustam Aselderov, 35, and four of his henchmen at a secret compound in the North Caucasus city of Makhachkala.
In a video filmed during the raid the drone can be seen manoeuvring into place before opening fire and tearing holes in the wall, The Daily Mail reports.
After the machine finished its mechanical rampage soldiers secured the area, confirming that all of the targets had been neutralised in the attack.
In a statement Russia’s Federal Security Service (FSB) said:
Among the neutralised bandits was the head of the Caucasus region’s branch of the Islamic State Rustam Aselderov, and four of his close associates.
Aselderov was allegedly involved in blasts in the southern Russian city of Volgograd which killed 34 in 2013 the FSB claims and ‘automatic weapons and a large amount of ammunition and explosives’ were found in the compound.
It’s believed he was fighting for a Caucasus insurgent group at the time, and in 2012 was linked to twin car blasts in Dagestan in that killed 14 and injured at least 120.
The terrorist pledged his loyalty to the Daesh leader Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi back in December 2014 and Aselderov had previously fought with the local Caucasus Emirate insurgent group, taking over as leader of the Dagestan branch in 2012.
The U.S. Department of State had labelled Aselderov as a ‘foreign terrorist fighter’ and in October Russia offered a five million ruble (£63,000) reward for information on his whereabouts.
The Russian North Caucasus is allegedly one of the major sources of foreign jihadists fighting in Syria and Iraq.
More of a concept than a journalist, Tom Percival was forged in the bowels of Salford University from which he emerged grasping a Masters in journalism.
Since then his rise has been described by himself as ‘meteoric’ rising to the esteemed rank of Social Editor at UNILAD as well as working at the BBC, Manchester Evening News, and ITV.
He credits his success to three core techniques, name repetition, personality mirroring, and never breaking off a handshake.