PATRIOT PARK /Moscow Region/, August 15. /TASS/. A major security threat for the Central Asian nations is now emerging in Afghanistan, where international terrorist organizations are gaining in influence and Western countries are working more actively with armed groups based outside of the country’s dominant Pashtun ethnic group, Russian Defense Minister Sergey Shoigu said at the 11th Moscow Conference on International Security.

"The security of Russia's CSTO [Collective Security Treaty Organization - TASS] allies in Central Asia is a key priority for the work of Russia’s defense agencies. Today, the main challenges and threats to the region are emerging from within Afghanistan, which is seeing growth in the influence of international terrorist organizations after [the collapse of] the decades-old US protectorate," he said.

The defense chief noted that Western countries are increasing their interactions with various ethnic-based, non-Pashtun armed formations. "The intent of their actions is clear. On the one hand, a conflict hotspot is created in the border zones of our partners, while, on the other hand, military assistance is offered to neutralize the conflict [thus artificially created]. All the while, the interests of the civilian population and the stability of government authorities are not duly taken into account," Shoigu added.