Russia: U.S., NATO Denial of Daesh in Afghanistan Worrying
MOSCOW (Dispatches) – Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov has voiced worries over the U.S. and NATO's denial of the presence of Daesh terrorists in Afghanistan.
"We are alarmed as unfortunately, the U.S. and NATO military in Afghanistan makes every effort to silence and deny the Daesh group’s presence in Afghanistan," said Lavrov during a press conference in Moscow.
He added that Moscow is harboring suspicions towards the NATO coalition's actions on curbing the threat of terrorists in Afghanistan.
"According to our data, the Daesh presence in northern and eastern Afghanistan is rather serious, there are already thousands of gunmen," Lavrov said.
"This increases the risk of the terrorists’ penetration to Central Asia and it is not that difficult to get to Russia," he added.
Earlier in the month, Iranian Defense Minister Brigadier General Amir Hatami said the U.S. is transferring Daesh to Afghanistan to justify its military presence in the Central Asian country following heavy blows dealt to the terrorist group in Syria and Iraq.
The Iranian defense minister also stressed that the U.S. created Daesh to use it in Syria and Iraq.
In December last year, Russian warned that an estimated 10,000 members of the Daesh terrorist group are currently present in Afghanistan, and that their number is growing due to the relocation of the terror outfit to the Central Asian country after territorial defeats in Syria and Iraq.
Daesh began establishing a presence in Afghanistan almost a year after making sweeping land grabs in Iraq and Syria in 2014.
The terrorist group took advantage of the ongoing chaos in Afghanistan and recruited some of its fighters from among Taliban defectors.
Back in 2014, the U.S.-led occupying forces in Afghanistan officially announced the end of their combat operations in the country, saying they now had a mission to "train, advise, and assist” Afghan troops.
However, the U.S. administration last year permitted the deployment of an additional 3,000 troops to Afghanistan, where the U.S. already has 11,000 forces.
"We are alarmed as unfortunately, the U.S. and NATO military in Afghanistan makes every effort to silence and deny the Daesh group’s presence in Afghanistan," said Lavrov during a press conference in Moscow.
He added that Moscow is harboring suspicions towards the NATO coalition's actions on curbing the threat of terrorists in Afghanistan.
"According to our data, the Daesh presence in northern and eastern Afghanistan is rather serious, there are already thousands of gunmen," Lavrov said.
"This increases the risk of the terrorists’ penetration to Central Asia and it is not that difficult to get to Russia," he added.
Earlier in the month, Iranian Defense Minister Brigadier General Amir Hatami said the U.S. is transferring Daesh to Afghanistan to justify its military presence in the Central Asian country following heavy blows dealt to the terrorist group in Syria and Iraq.
The Iranian defense minister also stressed that the U.S. created Daesh to use it in Syria and Iraq.
In December last year, Russian warned that an estimated 10,000 members of the Daesh terrorist group are currently present in Afghanistan, and that their number is growing due to the relocation of the terror outfit to the Central Asian country after territorial defeats in Syria and Iraq.
Daesh began establishing a presence in Afghanistan almost a year after making sweeping land grabs in Iraq and Syria in 2014.
The terrorist group took advantage of the ongoing chaos in Afghanistan and recruited some of its fighters from among Taliban defectors.
Back in 2014, the U.S.-led occupying forces in Afghanistan officially announced the end of their combat operations in the country, saying they now had a mission to "train, advise, and assist” Afghan troops.
However, the U.S. administration last year permitted the deployment of an additional 3,000 troops to Afghanistan, where the U.S. already has 11,000 forces.