GROZNY, October 14 (RAPSI) – Prosecutor’s Office of the Chechen Republic announced on Tuesday that criminal cases have been opened against five individuals who allegedly took part in the armed insurgency in Syria, TASS reported on Tuesday.

The probe was initiated after an investigation in the alleged disappearance of the individuals, opened at the request of their relatives. During the investigation the authorities uncovered that the sought after individuals were in fact engaged in armed hostilities in Syria.

Since March 2011, the ongoing military conflict in Syria has resulted in the death of almost 200,000 people, according to the UN. The government army is fighting militants that are part of different armed groups and that include foreign recruits.

In recent months the prolonged fighting has spilled into Iraq, after the group known as IS, also known as ISIS or ISIL, has been fighting the Syrian government since 2012, expanded its operations.

The radical Sunni group is known for its extreme violence, including against journalists. Among IS victims are American reporter James Foley and American-Israeli journalist Steven Sotloff.