Russian Defense Minister, Sergey Shoygu, said in a meeting with his Tajik counterpart on Thursday that Afghanistan’s security situation is deteriorating following the hasty withdrawal of US troops.

He also said Daesh has expanded their activities in northern Afghanistan.

Shoygu said that going forward Moscow will train Tajik forces to prevent any infiltration of the terrorist organization from Afghanistan.

“The hasty withdrawal of US and NATO troops creates lots of problems. We’re aware of the ongoing robust work aimed at providing security on the border which is currently a hotbed for many risks, threats and challenges,” said Shoygu.

Meanwhile, General Charles Brown, a commander for the US air forces, said in an interview with PBS that the establishment of a US military base near Afghanistan would be of great help.

“It does make it easier, partly because it gives us more on-station time. It decreases our air refueling bill to be able to execute.

“So, we will stand by. But we’re — we have got tankers and airplanes that — and airpower that can operate from where we are right now to support,” Brown said.

This comes after the United States said on Wednesday it was deeply troubled by reports of escalating attacks on civilians as the Taliban sweep across Afghanistan amid their troop withdrawal.

Secretary of State Antony Blinken, also spoke out about the situation during a visit to India, and said the only path to peace in Afghanistan was through negotiations, which all parties must take seriously.

Describing reports of attacks on civilians as “deeply, deeply troubling”, Blinken said: “An Afghanistan that commits atrocities against its own people would become a pariah state.

“There’s only one path, and that’s at the negotiating table, to resolve the conflict peacefully.”