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Afghanistan does not expect arrival of foreign contingent — foreign minister

Haneef Atmar emphasized that Afghanistan expected defense, military and technical cooperation with its neighbors and allies

MOSCOW, August 12. /TASS/. The government of Afghanistan does not expect that other countries’ forces might be introduced to the country’s territory to provide assistance in the struggle against the radical movement Taliban (outlawed in Russia), but it is prepared for defense cooperation with neighbors, Afghanistan’s Foreign Minister Haneef Atmar said on the Ekho Moskvy radio station on Thursday.

"We do not expect that foreign forces might appear in our territory, but we do expect defense, military and technical cooperation," he said, when asked if foreign assistance to Afghanistan was possible amid the worsening situation in the country.

"When we talk about regional cooperation, naturally we have in mind our neighbors and our allies. Our neighbors are Russia, China, the Central Asian countries, Turkey, India and Pakistan. We count on their support in our struggle against international terrorism," he added.

On April 14, US President Joe Biden declared his decision to curtail the operation in Afghanistan, which has turned out to be the longest foreign military campaign in US history. In the meantime, the security situation in the country has deteriorated, as militants of the radical movement Taliban have stepped up offensive operations on a number of fronts. The Taliban claims that it has established control of about 85% of the country’s territory, including areas along the border with five countries: Iran, China, Pakistan, Tajikistan and Turkmenistan.