About 100 terrorists detained in operations conducted by post-Soviet security bloc

Almost 100 terrorists have been detained in special operations conducted under the supervision of the Collective Security Treaty Organization (CSTO), a post-Soviet security bloc, and 39 illegal migration channels have been terminated, Secretary of Russia’s Security Council Nikolai Patrushev said on Wednesday.

Speaking at a multilateral meeting of security chiefs and national security advisers on the Afghan issue in Tehran, he noted that about 100 terrorists had been detained thanks to preventive operations conducted under the supervision of the Collective Security Treaty Organization, while 61 individuals had been put on the international wanted list. In addition, 39 illegal migration channels have been terminated.

“An equally important task is the need to prevent the penetration of foreign terrorists from combat operation zones into Afghanistan under the guise of refugees,” Patrushev said.

He called for intensifying information exchange between states, which will help bring legal cases against militants and spoke in favor of easing extradition rules. “We call for vigorous concerted efforts to replenish the Russian Federal Security Service (FSB) Counterterrorism Database,” he stated.

Another important area of cooperation is the fight against financing terrorism, Patrushev added, stressing that the bulk of terrorists’ revenues came from the Afghan drug trafficking business. He highlighted the importance of conducting operations to combat drug trafficking and appealed for comprehensive support in personnel training to Afghanistan’s special services.

According to Patrushev, the global community should help establish a peaceful internal political dialogue in Afghanistan. “It is essential to provide all-round political support for the early start of a comprehensive domestic political process,” he claimed.

He pointed to the substantial potential of the Moscow consultations on Afghanistan, which enabled regional partners to make concerted efforts. “We are also looking forward to our partners’ active involvement in the work of the SCO-Afghanistan Contact Group,” Patrushev noted.

He also stressed that it was important to prevent the terrorist threat from Afghanistan from spreading to neighboring countries and called for stepping up cooperation with the Kabul authorities.

In addition to Iran and Russia, delegations from Afghanistan, China, India, Tajikistan and Uzbekistan are taking part in the meeting, which is being held in Tehran on Wednesday.

Source: Tass