UNITED NATIONS, September 19. /TASS/. Islamic State (outlawed in Russia) terrorists are seeking to augment their power in Afghanistan and destabilize the situation in that country, Russia’s Permanent Representative to the United Nations Vasily Nebenzya said.

"Of special concern for us are security risks stemming from the continuing terrorist activities of the Islamic State Afghan wing," he said at a UN Security Council meeting on Afghanistan. "Despite the de facto authorities’ efforts, terrorists are augmenting their influence in the country and are deliberately seeking to destabilize the situation by means of committing terror attacks. Their tactic is clear: to demonstrate themselves as an alternative force and undermine stability in Afghanistan and the region. People of religious and ethnic minorities, including women and children, fall victim of terror attacks."

"The Islamic State periodically changes its tactic, extensively using social networks to recruit new members and securing financing of terrorist activities," he said, adding that taking into account the quantity of weapons that remained in Afghanistan after the withdrawal of Western troops, there is a high risk of terrorists getting hold of these weapons, with their subsequent spread throughout the region and outside it.

After the US administration announced the end of its US military operation in Afghanistan and the launch of its troop pullout, the Taliban embarked on an offensive against Afghan government forces. On August 15, 2021, 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 stepped down and fled the country. US troops left Afghanistan by early September 2021.