The successful activities of the Russian Air and Space Forces in Syria are causing trouble for the terrorist group Daesh (ISIS), and it may open a second front in Afghanistan, experts think. Russian diplomats are also concerned about reports of a strengthening of Daesh positions in Afghanistan. “Radical Islamists have proven their ability to use any crises to their advantage, exacerbating old conflicts and creating new hotbeds of conflicts, violence and tensions. These further developments pose a direct danger to Afghanistan, which, as you know, has been experiencing a military and political crisis for many years,” Maria Zakharova, the spokeswoman of the Russian Foreign Ministry, says.
The military successes of Daesh in the Middle East have recently been very important propaganda, a so-called trump card that allows it to attract new terrorists virtually from all regions and to all regions. “When Russia began a decisive military operation against ISIS and other terrorist operations in Syria, the terrorists redeployed their forces to Afghanistan, which may allow Islamic State to be represented as an effective military structure that has opened a second front, despite the offensive by anti-ISIS forces in the Middle East and North Africa.
The territory of Afghanistan remains one of the main sources of the global terrorist threat. “We can personally see the unwanted results which Russia has discussed for many years. Moreover, the terrorists are implementing a strategy aimed at seizing territories near the Afghan border with neighboring states, in addition to the internal struggle between the Taliban and representatives of ISIS for control over a number of provinces of Afghanistan. Many times terrorist groups, including ISIS, have announced plans to create a springboard in Afghanistan for future destabilization of the situation in the region. According to the current trends that are developing now, some of these threats are becoming more obvious,” Zakharova says.
The capture of an Afghan province by militants who were joined by Islamic State, which started mobilizing its forces in Afghanistan a year ago, proves the fact that the current leaders of the terrorist international are really trying to implement their threats in practice. “Among the most attractive tidbits for the terrorists are the Central Asian states, the territories of our allies, neighbors and partners. Taking into account all these very troubling and very dangerous aspects of the international situation, it is important to integrate and coordinate all efforts of the international community on the basis of the norms and principles of international law, as well as the Charter of the United Nations, in order to suppress the global terrorist threat. Regional efforts to assist Afghanistan should be channelled mainly through the Shanghai Cooperation Organization, which consists of observers and dialogue partners from almost all the countries in the region, including Afghanistan,” the Foreign Ministry believes.
Speaking about the struggle against terrorists in Syria, Zakharova says that “the coalition is more simulating a fight against ISIS and real terrorism and acts according to its incorrigibly politicized approach, which runs counter to international law in respect of the situation in Syria. The ineffectiveness of the Coalition’s actions was clearly confirmed by the worsening of the problem with ISIS. American pilots didn't notice it while flying in the sky over Syria and Iraq for over a year. For over one year American pilots hadn’t noticed any columns of fuel trucks with the contraband oil that strengthens ISIS. Another question is that they might have noticed it, but did nothing to block this 'black flow'.”
Zakharova points out that “ members of the coalition say that they act as its members, but in other cases, when the situation is beneficial for them, in particular in the situation with Turkey, which carries out operations against Kurds in Iraq. In some cases they say that they act independently, and therefore it provides a lot of various opportunities, including double standards. It is impossible to understand where countries act as members of the coalition and where they operate according to their own interests.”
At the same time, the Foreign Ministry urges France, the United Kingdom and Germany to make a real contribution to the fight against the terrorist group. “Russia proposes to its Western partners to provide us with available information about ISIS objects. We have proposed it many times but, to put it mildly, the answers were evasive. Certainly, it is difficult to speak about any real effectiveness of the coalition headed by the United States in these circumstances, despite military assistance by some European members,” Zakharova states.
