UN Under-Secretary-General for Counter-Terrorism Vladimir Voronkov has said that Afghanistan has once again become a breeding ground for terrorism.
Speaking at the conference on the implementation of the Shanghai Cooperation Organization counter-terrorism convention, organized by Russian and Chinese missions Wednesday, Voronkov said Afghanistan was turning into a key “epicenter of the spread of terrorism.”
“This event is very timely, especially in light of the conclusions that were made as part of the 14th report from the group on analytical support and monitoring of sanctions regarding the Taliban,” Voronkov said, quoted by Russia-based TASS News Agency.
“The document is rather profound and informative; effectively, it shows that Afghanistan is once again slowly turning into one of the most important, or maybe even the most important epicenter of the spread of terrorism. Despite all promises, all loud statements, the facts prove otherwise,” he added.
“De facto, the government [Taliban] is unable or unwilling to curb the terrorist threat,” Voronkov said.
This comes after foreign ministers of the Collective Security Treaty Organization (CSTO) also raised their concerns on Wednesday about the “deterioration” of the security situation in Afghanistan.
In a statement, the ministers expressed their concern “over the deterioration of the security situation in Afghanistan and the invigorated activity of international terrorist organizations, primarily ISIS and its affiliate, Wilayat Khorasan, on the territory of Afghanistan.”
“We are concerned about the growing drug trafficking in Afghanistan, including the risk of it spreading into neighboring countries. We emphasize the importance of Kabul following through on its commitments to eliminate drug production and drug-related crime,” the statement said.
