MOSCOW, August 29. /TASS/. More than 23,000 representatives of terrorist groups are active in Afghanistan, Russian Security Council Secretary Sergey Shoigu said in an article for Rossiyskaya Gazeta, adding that the authorities in Kabul are actively fighting them.

"According to our estimates, there are about 20 international terrorist organizations in Afghanistan, with a total of more than 23,000 militants, which pose a serious threat to the region and the world," he wrote. The Afghan leadership is taking steps to combat terrorism to the best of its ability, Shoigu noted.

The activities of terrorist groups remain one of factors directly linked to drug production, he said, adding that "the greatest concern is caused by the activities of the Afghan wing of ISIS, Vilayat Khorasan (a structural division of ISIS, both entities are outlawed in Russia), which has training camps and support bases, mainly in the east, north and northeast of the country."

Kabul regularly eliminates ISIS militants, Shoigu noted. "Of course, if it were not for the punitive sanctions imposed by Western countries against the Taliban, this fight would be more effective," he concluded.