AKTAU /Kazakhstan/, September 2. /TASS/. The counterterrorism subdivisions of the intelligence services of CIS countries have been on high alert since the Taliban radical movement (outlawed in Russia) seized power in Afghanistan, Head of the Commonwealth of Independent States (CIS) Anti-Terrorism Center (ATC) Andrey Novikov told TASS.
"Undoubtedly, the counterterrorism subdivisions of the intelligence services and security structures of the countries of the Commonwealth have already reorganized their operations, switched from a peacetime format to a high alert mode. This involves, above all, the operative work on detecting the terrorist underground, sleeper cells, intercepting the schemes of their financial support," he said in response to a question by TASS.
On August 15, Taliban fighters swept into Kabul without encountering any resistance, and gained full control over the Afghan capital within a few hours. Afghanistan’s President Ashraf Ghani said he had stepped down to prevent any bloodshed and subsequently fled the country. Vice President Amrullah Saleh announced that, in the absence of the head of state, the constitution empowered him to become the caretaker president and urged the Afghan people to join the resistance against the Taliban.