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Balance of forces in Afghanistan appears disheartening — Russian UN envoy

The envoy added that the settlement in Afghanistan is possible only via talks, not hostilities

UNITED NATIONS, August 6. /TASS/. The situation in Afghanistan amid the withdrawal of foreign forces causes growing concerns, Russian Permanent Representative to UN Vasily Nebenzya told the Security Council Friday.

"The situation in Afghanistan causes ever growing concerns," he said. "The balance of forces amid the withdrawal of foreign forces appears more and more disheartening. The messages about the escalation of violence that we receive are horrifying."

He added that the risk of hostilities growing into a full-scale and prolonged civil war "has become harsh reality."

The envoy added that the settlement in Afghanistan is possible only via talks, not hostilities. He noted that calls for flexibility should be addressed to both sides of the conflict, not one of them.

On April 14, US President Joe Biden announced his decision to end the operation in Afghanistan - the longest war campaign in the US history. This caused the security situation in the republic to rapidly deteriorate. The Taliban movement militants ramp up the rate of the offensive on a number of directions. According to the movement’s representatives, the Taliban has been able to take control over about 85% of the Afghan territory including borders with five states: Iran, China, Pakistan, Tajikistan and Turkmenistan.

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