Zamir Kabulov, Russia’s special presidential envoy for Afghanistan, said that Moscow is particularly worried about an increasing foothold of Daesh militants in northern Afghan provinces bordering Tajikistan and Turkmenistan.
Russian media quoting Kabulov stated that helicopters “without identifying insignia” are transferring fighters and delivering “Western [military] equipment” to the Afghan branch of the terrorist group.
“Russia was among the first to be sounding the alarms in connection with the emergence of Daesh in Afghanistan…. Daesh has significantly increased its power in the country recently. According to our estimates, the number of militants exceeds 10,000 and continues to grow, particularly due to new fighters arriving from Syria and Iraq,” Kabulov told the Sputnik news agency.
He added that Moscow repeatedly has raised the issue with the United Nations and NATO, but has not yet received “a clear response” from them.
Kabulov further stated that the situation in the Afghan provinces of Jawzjan and Sar-e-Pol are of particular concern because locals also have spotted Algerian and French fighters in the ISIS ranks. He went on to assert that the terrorist group aims to extend its influence to Russia’s southern regions and its partner nations in Central Asia.
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