Russia accuses US of contacting countries neighbouring Afghanistan to build military bases

Russia on Wednesday claimed that the United States had again picked up momentum against Taliban-led Afghanistan by reaching out to its neighbouring countries such as Uzbekistan and Tajikistan, news agency Sputnik reported. In the report, the Russian government claimed that the "reaching out program" was started early in May this year, around three months before the US troops scheduled to withdraw from the war-torn country. According to the Russian media report, all US approaches in this direction appear to have been rejected. According to the news agency, the claims were made by Yuri Kokov, deputy chief of the Russian Security Council, during an interview with Rossiyskaya Gazeta newspaper.

During the interview, Kokov said that the US had not given up on its geopolitical ambitions in West Asia and trying to regain its position in Afghanistan on the pretext of the fight against terrorism. "Indeed, there are warnings of a geopolitical nature [to Russia], arising from the fact that the Americans have not actually dropped their dreams in this area," news agency Sputnik quoted Kokov as saying. "On the opposite, beneath the pretence of countering terrorist organisations, they are attempting to gain a space in nations neighbouring Afghanistan and to build bases there for their unmanned flying carriers and coaching stations for the training of local army personnel, law execution and special assistance. In essence, this means bringing NATO infrastructure even closer to Russia's borders," Sputnik quoted Kokov.

'US lost its faith and respect by leaving the country at the time of crisis'

Further, the deputy chief of the Russian Security Council said that the effort made by the US troops for more than two decades had gone in vain as the extremist organisation cherished their dreams. Also, the United States had lost faith and respect by leaving the country at the time of crisis. "The most crucial point when it comes to the battle against terrorism is the outcome. We see that as an outcome of the coalition's attendance in Afghanistan, the nation was essentially taken over by the global terrorist group known as the Taliban Movement," Sputnik quoted Kokov.

It is worth mentioning during the first congressional testimony on the tumultuous withdrawal of US troops from Afghanistan last month, Central Command (CENTCOM) chief Kenneth McKenzie, had shown full confidence in handling any operation against the Taliban, despite not having any base and soldiers on the ground. Further, McKenzie told US Central Command that American has not maintained any agreement with the neighbouring countries, still Washington can conduct missions using its distant bases in the region. Also, he added the United States is not dependent on any neighbouring countries. 

Image: AP