Strong "Islamic state" is dangerous for Afghanistan, Russian diplomat says

MOSCOW, April 16 /TASS/. Regional states should joint ranks to fight the "Islamic state" threat in Afghanistan, Zamir Kabulov, the Russian president’s special representative for Afghanistan, said on Thursday. According to him, the IS militants are trying to re-create the repressive regime which the Taliban once established in Afghanistan in the ISIS-held territories in Syria and Iraq with frightening accuracy. "Today, the ‘Islamic state’ is actively imposing its views in Afghanistan where the ideology is gaining momentum. The number of ISIS supporters is growing rapidly largely due to recruitment of fighters from the Taliban movement and other anti-government groups," Kabulov stressed. "In a whole number of cases, the foreign military contingent in Afghanistan is delivering air strikes at those Taliban militant detachments that are refusing to cooperate with the "Islamic State." "It is not the question to the Afghan army, which simply does not have combat air force," he added. "The IS policy and ideological concepts negate the right of Muslims to statehood and cultural identity," the Russian diplomat went on to say. "In practical terms, it means that Afghanistan is once again being turned into a breeding ground of global terrorism," Kabulov said. "In a short-term perspective, they want to pit the Afghanis against their Muslim neighbours. If the events unfold according to this scenario, Afghanistan may eventually collapse as a state. For the moment, the ‘Islamic state’ has not gained enough strength in Afghanistan yet. However, the events are unfolding rapidly. We may face a bigger regional destabilization threat in the foreseeable future," Kabulov stressed. He called on all countries concerned with preserving stability in Asia to act together against the ISIS threat. Read more