The Islamic Emirate of Afghanistan (IEA) is fully capable of restoring order in the country, assuming external actors do not meddle in its affairs, the head of the FSB security service said.

Speaking at a security meeting of Commonwealth of Independent States (CIS) in Bishkek, Alexander Bortnikov said that attempts to consolidate and expand the influence of terrorist networks in the Afghan-Pakistani zone are a big threat to CIS security.

“Undoubtedly, we cannot but be concerned about what is happening in this country. On the one hand, positive trends should be noted. The Afghan authorities are actively working on normalizing the situation, they’re countering against odious terrorist organizations, seeking to strengthen external borders in order to reduce the infiltration of militants from regional conflict zones. They are in dialogue with us – I am speaking about the special services of the CIS,” Russia’s state news agency TASS quoted Bortnikov as saying.

“And if external players do not interfere with Kabul, the Taliban (IEA), I believe, will be able to restore order in the country,” he said.

The Russian official said that there are “persistent attempts by the Anglo-Saxons to influence the situation in Afghanistan,” with the aim to gain a foothold in Central Asia and use this platform to influence the entire region.

“Of course, with so much at stake, any means necessary are used. Hence the constant rotation of militants in the Syrian-Iraqi and Afghan-Pakistani zones, the emergence of new training camps for militants near the southern borders of the Commonwealth,” he said.

Meanwhile, Bortnikov called efforts to find common ground in countering international terrorism with the new authorities in Afghanistan a “positive trend.”

US Special Representative for Afghanistan Thomas West announced Saturday that he discussed the way ahead in Afghanistan during his two-day trip to Turkish capital Ankara.

West said on X that the issues discussed included the need for collective diplomacy, coordinated efforts against Daesh-Khorasan threats, support for disaster relief efforts in northern Afghanistan, and to promote for Afghans’ human rights.

The envoy also met with the head of Turkish Cooperation and Coordination Agency (TIKA) “to learn more about Turkey’s robust support for cultural preservation, emergency relief, health and education projects.”

Last week, the American diplomat met with Mohammed bin Abdulaziz Al-Khulaifi, Qatar’s Minister of State at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, before the latter’s visit to Kabul.

The meetings take place ahead of the third Doha meeting on Afghanistan, which is scheduled to be held on June 30.

US President Joe Biden on Thursday once again defended his decision to withdraw troops from Afghanistan, saying that there are ways to control Daesh other than occupying the country.

Joe Biden stated this in a joint press conference with William Ruto, the President of Kenya.

In the conference, a reporter asked Biden if he could explain why the United States commits Kenya to a foreign war in Haiti, while it has withdrawn its forces from Afghanistan.

“Very easily. There’s a reason why Afghanistan has been known as the graveyard of Empires. The likelihood of anybody uniting Afghanistan is highly highly highly unlikely. Number one. Number two there are ways to control ISIS other than occupying Afghanistan,” Biden said.

The United States completed its troops withdrawal from Afghanistan in August 2021.

The Islamic Emirate has always emphasized that it suppressed Daesh in Afghanistan and that the group does not have a physical presence.