A senior Russian official has accused Western countries of trying to bring NATO back into Afghanistan. According to an article published by Rossiyskaya Gazeta, Russian Security Council Secretary Sergei Shoigu said Western intelligence agencies are working to destabilize Afghanistan and re-establish NATO’s military presence there. According to Tolo News, Russian official said “Western countries are trying to return NATO infrastructure to Afghanistan. London, Berlin, and Washington are eager to get closer to Afghanistan’s leadership, despite their statements about not recognizing the Taliban.”
Shoigu argued that Afghanistan is still struggling to recover from the two-decade U.S. occupation, which ended with the withdrawal of American troops in 2021. According to him, Washington spent nearly $2 trillion during that time, while the opium trade used to make heroin flourished. In his statement, he also pointed out that much of the heroin was exported to Russia.
Shoigu linked the drug trade to past interventions in the region. He recalled how opium production surged in the 1980s when CIA-backed fighters, known as the mujahideen, battled the Soviet-backed Afghan government. The Taliban, after first coming to power in 1996, cracked down on opium. But production grew again under U.S.-backed groups following the 2001 invasion. When the Taliban regained control in 2021, they largely stamped it out once more.
According to the report the Russian official warned about the 20 extremist groups, who are still operating in Afghanistan, with the Afghan branch of ISIS being the most dangerous. He claimed that militants are being transferred into the country by Western agencies to create instability close to Russia, China, and Iran. With the statements Shoigu also cleared that Moscow is prepared to work with the Taliban to help stabilize Afghanistan. They are committed to bring peace in the region by promoting anti-terrorism and anti-drug initiatives.
