World News
Get all the latest news from India's closest neighbors overseas before it gets cold.

US Plans to Use Illegal Afghan Militants to Destabilize Region: Russia's Defence Minister

© AP Photo / Alex BrandonIn this Aug. 29, 2021, file photo reviewed by U.S. military officials, a flag flies at half-staff in honor of the U.S. service members and other victims killed in the terrorist attack in Kabul, Afghanistan, as seen from Camp Justice in Guantanamo Bay Naval Base, Cuba.
In this Aug. 29, 2021, file photo reviewed by U.S. military officials, a flag flies at half-staff in honor of the U.S. service members and other victims killed in the terrorist attack in Kabul, Afghanistan, as seen from Camp Justice in Guantanamo Bay Naval Base, Cuba. - Sputnik India, 1920, 25.05.2023
Subscribe
MINSK (Sputnik) - The United States plans to use illegal militant groups in Afghanistan in order to destabilize the situation in the region, Russian Defence Minister Sergey Shoigu said on Thursday.
"Afghanistan remains one of the volatile hotspots. The main threat comes from illegal armed groups, which have strengthened their positions in the country after the Taliban* Islamic movement came to power. We believe that the US intends to use the potential of these terrorist groups to destabilize the region," Shoigu said at the meeting of the Council of Defense Ministers of the Collective Security Treaty Organization (CSTO) in Minsk.
To this end, the militants of these groups have been sent from the Middle East to Afghanistan, the minister said, adding that in the future their infiltration into neighboring countries is possible, for example, to carry out terrorist attacks.
"Under these conditions, we believe it is important to coordinate efforts in the direction of Afghanistan, to pay due attention to joint exercises both bilaterally and in multilateral formats," he said.
Instead of working to revive Afghanistan after NATO's withdrawal, the bloc's members are trying to restore their military presence in Central Asia, which Russia sees as a direct threat to security there and throughout the CSTO region, Shoigu added.
The Taliban came to power in Afghanistan in August 2021, overthrowing the Washington-backed government as NATO troops left the country after nearly 20 years of US military presence.
An Afghan Army soldier pauses before dropping his helmet and his gun next to his comrade's equipment at a training facility in the outskirts of Kabul, Afghanistan on Wednesday, May 8, 2013. - Sputnik India, 1920, 16.05.2023
Sputnik Opinion
US, NATO Trying to Turn Central Asian Into Foothold to Threaten Russia: Russian Diplomat
*under UN sanctions for terrorism
Newsfeed
0
To participate in the discussion
log in or register
loader
Chats
Заголовок открываемого материала