Russia Warns of Ongoing Terror Threat from Afghanistan

DID Press: Russia’s Security Council Secretary, Sergei Shoigu, warned the threat of extremist groups infiltrating Central Asia from Afghanistan remains serious, stressing the importance of strengthening security along Tajikistan’s border with Afghanistan.

“The threat of infiltration by militants belonging to terrorist and extremist organizations through Afghanistan into Collective Security Treaty Organization (CSTO) member states still exists,” he said, speaking at a meeting of CIS Security Council secretaries in Moscow on Wednesday.

Shoigu underlined the need for regional security cooperation, noting that fortifying Tajikistan’s frontier with Afghanistan is a key measure to prevent militant expansion into Central Asia.

He said the implementation of an interstate program launched this year to reinforce Tajikistan’s border with Afghanistan was based on a CSTO agreement, with member states required to provide necessary resources and equipment.

Shoigu also highlighted the need for joint efforts to combat drug trafficking in the region, saying it is closely linked to terrorist networks. He added that Afghanistan’s gradual integration into regional economic systems could help reduce security threats and extremism.

In September, Shoigu cautioned that more than 23,000 fighters from international terrorist organizations were present in Taliban-controlled Afghanistan, calling it a serious threat to regional and global security.

Regional organizations, including the CSTO, have repeatedly warned in recent years about rising extremism, radical ideology, and militant activity in Afghanistan.