According to various estimates, more than two dozen terrorist structures uniting over 23 thousand fighters are functioning in Afghanistan, Russian Security Council Secretary Nikolai Patrushev told to Russian reporters in New Delhi following Wednesday's multilateral consultations on the Afghan problem.
He said the meeting participants discussed the situation unfolding in Afghanistan, primarily in the field of security, as well as its regional and global implications. " Terrorism remains the main threat emanating from the Afghan direction. According to various estimates, more than 20 terrorist structures with a total number of over 23,000 fighters are currently operating in Afghanistan," Patrushev said.
He drew attention to the fact that the main "sources of funding" of terrorist activities are still the proceeds of drug trafficking as well as "collection of the so-called tax from organized criminal groups engaged in the production and distribution of narcotic drugs". "Afghanistan remains the largest producer of opiates in the world, providing up to 90 percent of the world market," stated the Secretary of the Security Council.
Coordination on Afghanistan
Patrushev said participants at the meeting of the Security Council secretaries in New Delhi agreed to coordinate more closely on Afghanistan, including in the fight against terrorism, drug trafficking and uncontrolled migration.
"The participants in the multilateral meeting of security council secretaries expressed strong support for a peaceful and stable Afghanistan. They emphasized respect for the sovereignty and territorial integrity of the state," Patrushev said.
"We agreed on closer coordination of our states in the Afghan direction, primarily in the fight against terrorism and extremism, illegal drug trafficking and uncontrolled migration," the Russian Security Council Secretary continued. According to him, the participants of the meeting also emphasized the importance of providing urgent humanitarian aid to the Afghan people.
The secretaries of the Security Council also noted that the United Nations has a "central and crucial role" in resolving the situation in Afghanistan". "Given that most of the participants in today's event are members of the Shanghai Cooperation Organization, we have agreed to make more effective use of the SCO's treaty-legal toolkit in this area," Patrushev continued.
"Not only the settlement of the situation in Afghanistan, but also the security and well-being of a number of states, including Russia, will depend on the timeliness and effectiveness of our interaction," concluded the Secretary of the Russian Security Council.
Humanitarian crisis
Patrushev said that more than 18 million people are starving in Afghanistan, the country is on the brink of a humanitarian crisis.
"Afghanistan is actually on the brink of a humanitarian crisis. Drought has been going on for more than a year, food prices are rising, more than 18 million people are already starving," Patrushev said.
"At the same time, the United States and its allies, instead of taking responsibility for the collapse of Afghanistan's economy and social sphere, continue promoting further degradation of the situation through the economic isolation of Afghanistan," the Secretary of the Russian Security Council stressed.
Patrushev also called the sharp increase in the number of refugees from Afghanistan a threat to regional stability. "We see serious risks of terrorist and extremist elements, as well as drug traffickers entering neighboring countries in Central Asia and further to Russia under the guise of refugees or Afghans who cooperated with Westerners," the Secretary of the Russian Security Council said.
About the meeting in New Delhi
India, Iran, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Russia, Tajikistan, Turkmenistan and Uzbekistan participated in the Delhi regional dialogue on security issues in Afghanistan and were represented by National Security Advisors or Secretaries of Security Councils.
The event was chaired by Ajit Doval, National Security Adviser to the Indian Prime Minister. Previous similar meetings were organized by Iran in 2018 and 2019.
GSV "Russia - Islamic World"
Photo: Mikhail Metzel / TASS
Based on materials from TASS