Russian Security Council Secretary Sergei Shoigu said in a newly published article that Moscow estimates more than 23,000 fighters from about 20 international militant groups are currently operating in Afghanistan, posing a serious threat to regional and global security.
Writing in the government newspaper Rossiyskaya Gazeta, Shoigu identified ISIS-K as the most concerning group, citing its military bases and training camps spread across eastern, northern, and northeastern Afghanistan.
He said the Taliban are fighting terrorism “to the best of their abilities,” having repeatedly targeted IS positions, but added that Western sanctions and pressure have limited the effectiveness of their efforts.
Shoigu claimed that some foreign fighters have been transferred into Afghanistan from other parts of the world and accused Western intelligence agencies of orchestrating the movement in order to destabilize areas near Russia, China, and Iran.
He also alleged that despite officially not recognizing the Taliban, countries such as the United Kingdom, Germany, and the United States have shown signs of seeking closer engagement with Afghanistan’s de facto rulers. He suggested these nations are also exploring ways to reestablish military influence in the region after losing their positions in Afghanistan.
On drug production, Shoigu said the Taliban had succeeded in reversing the rising trend of opium cultivation that surged during the U.S. and NATO presence in the country. He cited a 95 percent drop in poppy cultivation in 2023—from over 200,000 hectares to about 10,000 hectares—as a “positive development.”
Still, Shoigu warned that drug trafficking remains a serious problem, particularly due to the increased production and use of synthetic drugs such as methamphetamine and potent synthetic opioids like nitazenes, which are stronger than fentanyl and deadly even in small doses.
He said Afghanistan still faces a long and difficult path toward achieving lasting stability, and called for regional cooperation. He noted that Russia is prepared to work with the Taliban on counterterrorism and anti-narcotics efforts, and expressed hope that support from neighboring countries would contribute to Afghanistan’s economic development and peace.
The remarks come as a recent U.N. Security Council monitoring report estimated that the Islamic State in Afghanistan has about 2,000 fighters, and Tehrik-i-Taliban Pakistan has around 6,000.
