Terrorism on the Ascent: Daesh Aims to Close in on Russia Via Afghanistan

Recent years have witnessed how terrorism is spreading its macabre influence all over the world. Now Daesh is relocating to a country which opens a passage to Central Asia and Russia. Sputnik spoke to an Afghan parliamentarian about how the terrorists are using northern Afghanistan to spread out.

Mohammad Feisal Sami, deputy secretary of the upper house of the parliament of Afghanistan spoke to Sputnik Afghanistan in an interview about the scale of terrorism and drug production in the country, stressing how the two issues are closely interwoven.

According to Sami since the activity of terrorist groups in Afghanistan has risen, drug cultivation has also increased dramatically. Most of the drugs are cultivated in the areas not controlled by the government. 

The parliamentarian further said that the presence of Daesh in Afghanistan is aimed at pursuing several deadly agendas.

 “They want to expand their influence in Afghanistan for 3 reasons. First, it is the desire to use the country's natural resources. Secondly, to increase the areas of drug cultivation and drug smuggling and thirdly, to penetrate the countries of Central Asia and get to the borders of Russia,” Sami said.

According to the parliamentarian the terrorists are making big bucks through drug smuggling and then they use that money to buy weapons and ammunition.

Sami stressed that Afghanistan alone cannot fight against international and regional terrorist groups. 

“This struggle needs the collective efforts of all the countries of the region and major world powers like Russia who are concerned and suffer from the cultivation of drugs and the activities of terrorist groups,” he said.

Sami said that foreign powers should help the Afghan people to find a fundamental way to destroy the terrorist groups and solve the problem of drug smuggling.

“Afghanistan expects that along with NATO forces present in the country, the states of the region, especially Russia, will provide it with the technical, financial and political support in combating drug trafficking and terrorism,” the parliamentarian said.

“The government of Afghanistan and we, as its representatives will try to create favorable conditions for the activities of the Russian Federation in Afghanistan. We expect that Russia will also cooperate with us in this field,” Sami added.

The views and opinions expressed by Mohammad Feisal Sami are those of the speaker and do not necessarily reflect those of Sputnik.