Russian President Putin: Terrorists leaders in Afghanistan hatch plots for influencing other countries

The leaders of terrorist organizations who are building up forces near Afghanistan’s borders with the CIS countries are hatching plots for expanding their influence, Russian President Vladimir Putin has said.

“Pretty clear is the concentration of extremist and terrorist groups near the borders of the CIS. There are the Islamic State, Islamic Movement of Uzbekistan, Jamaat Ansarullah, Al Qaeda, and a number of others. According to our sources, the Islamic State’s militants in northern Afghanistan number some 2,000,” Putin said at the CIS summit on Friday.

He warned that “the terrorists’ leaders are hatching plots for spreading their influence to the Central Asian countries and Russian regions.”

Putin stressed that the terrorists’ ringleaders focus on inciting ethnic and religious conflicts and religious hatred.

“Terrorists have been trying to get into the CIS territory in different disguises, often trying to pass for refugees,” Putin said.

“The situation in Afghanistan causes concern, of course. It is fraught with risks for Central Asia and the whole of the CIS space, even though some countries are far away from this region,” he pointed out. In his opinion the situation requires stepping up joint efforts along the counterterrorist and antidrug tracks in the first place.

Source: TASS