Russia: Threat from Radical Groups in Afghanistan Increased

DIDPress: Andrey Belousov, Russia’s Defense Minister, has warned that extremist groups based in Afghanistan continue to pose a serious threat to the security of Central Asia.

“Numerous groups of radicals in Afghanistan – more than 20 of them with over 15,000 militants apiece – remain the main threat in the Central Asian region, with the likelihood of them infiltrating into bordering nations and beyond increasing,” Russian Defense Minister Andrey Belousov said at a CSTO defense ministers’ meeting.

This comes despite repeated assurances from the Afghan interim government that no threat will emanate from Afghanistan soil towards other countries.

According to Interfax, Besides, Belousov continued, “instability in the Middle East, too, negatively affects the situation in the region.”

According to him, foreign militants from active armed groups infiltrate into Afghanistan and other Central Asian nations.

The Russian Defense Minister stressed the necessity for the CSTO forces to maintain full readiness and strengthen defensive measures against these threats.