Moscow does not intend to sell weapons to the new Afghan authorities, all talk about such a possibility is nonsense. This was stated on Friday, December 17, in an interview with the special representative of the President of the Russian Federation, Director of the Second Asia Department of the Russian Foreign Ministry Zamir Kabulov.
"Absolute stupidity, I wouldn't even think of such a game," he told RIA Novosti in response to a request to comment on comments appearing in Western media that Moscow could allegedly supply weapons to members of the Taliban movement (the organization is under UN sanctions for terrorist activities).
According to Kabulov, the Taliban do not need weapons, because "they have enough of them." The diplomat stressed that the United States left so many weapons that "there is enough for two countries." In this regard, he stressed the danger that the Taliban, in case of lack of money, will start selling these weapons, especially portable anti-aircraft systems, which may fall into the hands of terrorist groups. In this case, the special representative of the president noted, "there will be a big trouble."
Earlier, on December 1, Kabulov said that the military-political situation in Afghanistan is relatively stable, but the fight against ISIS (the organization is recognized as terrorist and banned in the Russian Federation) continues. According to him, the security detachments of the interim government of the country are actively fighting against the IG.
On November 17, Russia's Permanent Representative to the UN, Vasily Nebenzia, noted that the threat of the spread of terrorism and drugs from Afghanistan to neighboring countries is real. He expressed hope that the Taliban will continue to fulfill their promises to eradicate these challenges.
Earlier, on November 10, Russian Security Council Secretary Nikolai Patrushev said that more than 20 terrorist structures are currently operating in Afghanistan. He stressed that this is the main problem coming from the Afghan direction. The Secretary of the Security Council noted that the growing number of refugees from Afghanistan is a threat to regional stability.
Earlier, in August, Russian Defense Minister Sergei Shoigu said that the Taliban got a huge amount of weapons after the US military left Afghanistan. In particular, as Shoigu noted, they were able to get more than a hundred anti-aircraft missile systems (MANPADS). In addition, the Taliban have at their disposal "hundreds of barrels, hundreds of armored vehicles, planes, helicopters."
The situation in Afghanistan escalated in May 2021 after the start of the withdrawal of American troops who had been in the country since 2001. Members of the Taliban movement launched an offensive against major cities of the country and entered Kabul on August 15, announcing the end of the war.
