A court in Kyrgyzstan has sentenced two local women to prison after convicting them of attempting to recruit a young woman in the ranks of the Islamic State (IS) extremist group in Syria.

A court in the southern region of Jalal-Abad on September 14 sentenced local residents Mokhirakhon Akimzhanova, 55, and Nargizakhon Raimzhanova, 30, to six and seven years in prison, respectively.

The court said that Akimzhanova and Raimzhanova tried to persuade another Kyrgyz woman via the Internet to join IS extremists in Syria.

Investigators said that Raimzhanova's brother is fighting alongside IS militants in Syria.

In recent months, dozens of people have been detained or jailed in the former Soviet republics for allegedly recruiting fighters for extremist groups in Syria and Iraq.