Russia claims West ramping up interaction with armed groups in Afghanistan

Russia’s Defense Minister Sergey Shoigu has claimed that the main threats to the region are coming from within Afghanistan and that international terrorist organizations are gaining influence in the country.

“The security of Russia’s CSTO [Collective Security Treaty Organization] allies in Central Asia is a key priority for the work of Russia’s defense agencies. Today, the main challenges and threats to the region are emerging from within Afghanistan, which is seeing growth in the influence of international terrorist organizations after [the collapse of] the decades-old US protectorate,” Shoigu said at the 11th Moscow Conference on International Security, TASS news agency reported.

The defense chief noted that Western countries are increasing their interactions with various ethnic-based, non-Pashtun armed formations.

“The intent of their actions is clear. On the one hand, a conflict hotspot is created in the border zones of our partners, while, on the other hand, military assistance is offered to neutralize the conflict [thus artificially created]. All the while, the interests of the civilian population and the stability of government authorities are not duly taken into account,” Shoigu added.