Putin expressed concern over presence of Islamic State fighters in Afghanistan
Moscow, Russia: Russian President Vladimir Putin has expressed his serious concern over presence of Islamic State fighters in Afghanistan and called this development very dangerous for Central Asian states.
In his meeting with former Afghan President Hamid Karzai here on Wednesday, Putin questioned Karzai the reasons for instant rising of Islamic State in Afghanistan and mentioned that information coming to Kremlin indicated that Islamic State fighters were present in 25 out of the 34 provinces of Afghanistan.
According to state media, Hamid Karzai was of the view that Islamic State fighters were any way associated with Afghanistan and they foreigners and supported by external forces. However, Karzai did not mention their nationalities and what external forces were sending IS fighters to Afghanistan. He also sought Russian support for countering IS rising in Afghanistan.
“The Islamic State is an entirely different case: they are not in any way associated with Afghanistan; they are not ours, not homegrown. And without a doubt, Mr President, their upsurge is supported by external forces.
The fact is, they were not created for Afghanistan – they are using Afghanistan as a launching pad to spread their influence across the region. And Russia and Afghanistan should certainly focus on countering this threat”, said Hamid Karzai.
It may be mentioned that former President of Afghanistan Hamid Karzai was in Moscow following an invitation from the Russian International Affairs Council.