Russia's Federal Security Service (FSB) says nine militants linked to the Islamic State (IS) militant group have been sentenced in Ingushetia to prison terms ranging from five years to 19 years.

According to the FSB, the North Caucasus Regional Military Court pronounced the sentences on February 6 after it convicted the nine men on charges of masterminding, organizing, and carrying out a series of terrorist attacks in the region.

Violence is common in Russia's North Caucasus, which includes the restive mostly Muslim-populated regions of Ingushetia, Chechnya, Daghestan, and Kabardino-Balkaria.

Islamic militants have been mounting frequent attacks against police, public officials, and moderate Muslims in the region.

In June 2015, Islamic militants in the North Caucasus announced in an Internet video post that they had pledged allegiance to the IS group and its leader, Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi.

Based on reporting by TASS and Interfax