‘Russia does not provide any financial, political, or military assistance to the Taliban’
‘In Syria, with assistance from Russian Federation, this phenomenon of ISIL was demolished. We thought that after living in Syria these fighters will go to other countries, and we wanted to demolish there, not in Russia,”
Russia does not provide any financial, political, or military assistance to the Taliban, but does have some contacts with them. This was told by the Ambassador of the Russian Federation to Afghanistan Alexander Mantetsky in an interview with Shershah Nawabi, Pasbanan Media, and IAR representative in Kabul. In a query as to whether the allegations that countries like Russia, China, Iran were providing support to the Taliban was true or a propaganda, the ambassador said it was right to call it ‘a propaganda for Russia does not provide any financial, political or military assistance to the Taliban.’ He said it was ‘the propaganda of some forces’ that would like to create problems in the relations ‘between Russia and Afghanistan’. However, the Ambassador said, that the war in Afghanistan should end. He said it was important to question whether during the last 17-18 years of war ‘the goals which was set up by the American side or the NATO side are fulfilled. Everybody is speaking that terrorism is on the rise, narcotics is on the rise, it seems that they are not fulfilling these goals.’ Given that these objectives have not been reached Mr. Mantetsky said he feels that countries like Russia and China are being unfairly targeted. ‘Some forces would like to show that it is Russia or China or Iran, they are responsible’. He also rubbished accusations that Afghanistan has again become a field for a ‘proxy war’ between Russia and the United States. ‘Please understand there is no proxy war here from the Russian side.’
However, the envoy said that Russia did have some contacts with the Taliban, which could help in achieving peace. He listed ‘narcotics and terrorism’ as Russia’s legitimate concerns regarding the violence and instability in Afghanistan. He said it was worrisome for Russia and it had ‘to fight and how to continue to fight this menace in future.’ He said following a balanced foreign policy would help Afghanistan fight this menace because these threatened other countries and regions in the world too. ‘Narcotics is [sic] not coming only to Russia or Central Asian Republics. They are going to Europe and to Canada and to the United States. So this is common threat and we should fight it all together.’
He said a ‘neutral, sovereign, balanced policy’, without getting caught up in rivalries such as the Saudi-Emirates one with Iran, was in Afghanistan’s interest and it would help the country to ensure peace and stability because Afghanistan was in ‘centre of Asia’ and wanted many projects to go through its territory ‘for financial benefits.’ Giving the examples of TAPI gas pipeline and CASA1000, the Ambassador said ‘TAPI, coming from Turkmenistan through Afghanistan to Pakistan and also to India. [So] it is important to have good relations between Afghanistan and Pakistan and it’s also important to have good relations between Pakistan and India for supply. The same is with CASA1000, the supply of electricity coming from Tajikistan and Kyrgyzstan to your country and Pakistan and then to India. It is very important. If your policy will be balanced then you will benefit financially.’ ‘Have good relations with your neighbours.’
To a query on terrorism, and the threat posed by Daesh, the Russian envoy said that it was a common threat for everybody, from ‘Syria and Iraq to Afghanistan and all over the world’, including Libya and Europe. He said when Daesh began to appear in Afghanistan, Russia had requested the American side, and NATO countries to take strict measures to fight the terror group. ‘It seems when this phenomenon started in Afghanistan in 2014-2015 years we requested American side, NATO countries to take more strict measures to fight this menace.’ While many of the Daesh fighters were from Central Asia, including Uighurs, he said their goal was not conquering Afghanistan.
‘Their goal is not your country – yes, it is safe havens [here] but their goal is to overthrow the governments in the Central Asian republics or in China to create some kind of khalifat…..when the problem in Syria and Iraq started they declared they would like to have a khalifat, including in Pakistan, India, Iran, Afghanistan, Central Asian Republics, some parts of Russia, even Bangladesh.’
Ambassador Mantetsky said it was the Russian Federation that had destroyed Daesh in Syria. ‘In Syria, with assistance from Russian Federation, this phenomenon of ISIL was demolished. You can remember that the American side created some kind of alliance to fight these ISIL (Islamic State in Iraq and Levant) fighters in Iraq, Syria but nothing was done to demolish them. Only after the Russian Federation interfered in this matter, because we thought that after living in Syria these fighters will go to other countries, and we wanted to demolish there, not in Russia, but there and we have done it. The same we have requested American side and NATO countries to do it here [in Afghanistan] because soldiers, NATO soldiers and American soldiers are here and they should fight.’
Mr. Mantetsky also touched on the topic of ‘unmarked helicopters’ delivering ‘fighters and equipment’ to Afghanistan, an issue that Russia had earlier raised too. ‘…There are so many reports of local population that unmarked helicopters [are] bringing some kind of fighters and also some equipment. We wanted the American side and the NATO countries to answer this question [as to] who is doing it, because airspace is controlled by them and not by us. Unfortunately till now we have not got any answers.’
According to the envoy even the ‘Taliban are also blaming American side for the support, and even your [Afghan] government, for this support to Daesh.’ He said that in Jowjan last year Taliban started to fight against Daesh fighters. Some of them were killed, some taken as prisoners, but many of them surrendered to Afghan govt. He asked ‘What has happened with to them?’ He also said around 40 Daesh prisoners had been released some months ago when American and Afghan forces attacked some prisons. ‘Where are they now? Are they in Bagram now, or in your prisons. or they were prosecuted?’ he asked.
Mr. Mantetsky said Russia had many times proposed to both the American side as well as to the Afghan government to fight ISIL together, and to cooperate in counter-terrorism. He said it did not matter what they called themselves – Daesh or Al Qaeda – as they kept changing names. However, he regretted, Russia’s proposals were rejected. He said Russia would not place any troops in Afghanistan in case of such cooperation. ‘We will not have a single soldier on your soil. We can start exchange of intelligence information and there was such type of proposal to your government.’ However, there has not been any response from the Afghan government till now.
