MOSCOW — Andrey Rudenko, Russia’s Deputy Foreign Minister, has stated that terrorism in Taliban-controlled Afghanistan has become a significant concern for the international community.
Despite the Taliban’s previous denials of the presence of terrorist groups in Afghanistan and their assurances that no threats emanate from the country to its neighbors, the region, or the world, Rudenko highlighted ongoing worries.
Speaking at a BRICS counter-terrorism experts meeting in Moscow, he referenced a United Nations Security Council sanctions monitoring report on ISIS, Al Qaeda, and the Taliban.
“Terrorist groups are not only seeking to strengthen their influence in current conflict zones but are also aiming to establish a stronghold in the region,” Rudenko said, as per a statement released by the Russian Foreign Ministry. He pointed to the March 22 ISIS-K attack at a concert hall in Moscow’s suburbs, noting that terrorist attacks are becoming “increasingly complex and brutal” each year.
Earlier, Imangali Tasmagambetov, Secretary-General of the Collective Security Treaty Organization (CSTO), identified Taliban-controlled Afghanistan as the “main source” of instability in Central Asia. During a United Nations Security Council meeting on cooperation with regional and sub-regional organizations, he emphasized that terrorism, extremism, and drug trafficking in Afghanistan pose serious and growing threats.
Sergey Vershinin, another Russian Deputy Foreign Minister, reiterated at the same meeting that combating “threats originating from Afghanistan” remains a key priority for the Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SCO).
