KHANKALA, November 18 (RIA Novosti) - The Russian Interior Ministry and Federal Security Service eliminated a group of international terrorists in Chechnya and their leader, Jaber, a Saudi mercenary who was an Al-Qaeda representative in the North Caucasus, the operative HQ of the United Group of Forces said Friday.

"The Russian Interior Ministry and the [Chechen] FSB department conducted a special operation to eliminate the special mission group headed by Arab mercenary Jaber," HQ chief Arkady Yedelev said.

He said Jaber had been a close associate of mercenary Abu Hafs, a direct Al-Qaeda representative in the North Caucasus who was killed earlier.

Jaber had led foreign mercenaries who commanded illegal militant units from Georgia's Pankisi Gorge since 2001, General Yedelev added.

"The [Jaber-led] group trained mercenaries and financed illegal militant units in Russia after [terrorist leader] Abu al-Walid's death," he said.

"The group recently received major funds, which means they intended to step up terrorist activities in Russia," Yedelev said.

He also said Jaber had financed terrorist attacks on the Chechen capital, Grozny, and other Chechen settlements.

Yedelev said local residents had helped locate the group at its winter base in the Shali district and that the mercenaries had put up a violent resistance during the special operation.