Kabul Pushes for Regional Alliance Against Terrorism, Extremism

“The Afghan government has always stressed the need for wider cooperation between the countries of the region in the fight against terror,” says MoFA

The Afghan Ministry of Foreign Affairs (MoFA) on Tuesday said that regional countries need to join hands and fight terrorism strategically in the region.

“The Afghan government has always stressed the need for wider cooperation between the countries of the region in the fight against terror. The fight against terrorism must be carried out at the regional level on the basis of a combined strategy,” said MoFA deputy spokesman Khairullah Azad.

In the past Afghan officials also expressed deep concerns over the thaw in relations between the Taliban and the Russian government.

“Any decision taken by Tajikistan and Russia, is their own business. Afghanistan, however, will never allow any terrorist groups to use Afghan soil against another country,” said a defense ministry spokesman Dawlat Waziri.

The statement comes a day after Russian president Vladimir Putin met his Tajik counterpart Emomali Rahmon in Dushanbe. The two leaders discussed a range of issues pertaining their bilateral relations and ongoing developments in the region.

Putin has said that Russia's military base in Tajikistan is there to ensure security of border with Afghanistan.

The Russian and Tajik officials have said that Russia and Tajikistan have agreed to deploy assets of the Russian 201st military base in Tajikistan to secure of the Tajik-Afghan border, Putin said after his meeting with Rahmon.

"There is a Russian military base in Tajikistan. I would like to thank you for your attention to this sphere of our cooperation and for the assistance you have been providing to our base. I have no doubt that this is also an important factor in the stability and security of the region, particularly in Tajikistan," Putin said.

According to Putin, both Moscow and Dushanbe are concerned over the spread of terror groups, including Daesh (outlawed in Russia), in Afghanistan, as well as the growth in drug-trafficking and the rise in crime.

"In this connection, (Russia and Tajikistan) have agreed to boost joint efforts aimed at protecting the Tajik-Afghan border, particularly to deploy the assets of Russia’s 201st military base in Tajikistan," added Putin.

Tajikistani officials have said that in the view of Tajikistan’s lengthy border with Afghanistan, Dushanbe needed to take measures to secure its border with Afghanistan.

"Special attention was paid to interaction in the struggle against terrorism, extremism, drug-trafficking and other types of trans-national crimes," Rahmon said at a press conference on the results of the meeting.

"We note the effective interaction of law-enforcement structures and have agreed on further coordination of our efforts in that direction," the president of Tajikistan said.

Russia has nearly 7,000 soldiers at its military base in Tajikistan. The Russian troops in Tajikistan were earlier also carrying out the security responsibilities along the Tajik borders with Afghanistan until 2005. However, Tajik troops are now conducting their duties independently.

Source: http://www.tolonews.com/afghanistan/kabul-pushes-regional-alliance-against-terrorism-extremism