MOSCOW, October 6./TASS/. After leaving Afghanistan, the US does not abandon its plans in the region, and there is a risk that the NATO infrastructure may get closer to the Russian border, Deputy Secretary of the Russian Security Council Yuri Kokov said in an interview with Rossiyskaya Gazeta daily.

"Indeed, threats of a geopolitical nature emerge due to the fact that Americans, in essence, are not abandoning their intentions in this region," Kokov said. Under the pretext of countering terrorist groups, the US "is trying to gain a foothold in neighboring countries, having created bases there for the deployment of their unmanned aerial vehicles and training centers to train local military, officers of law enforcement agencies and security services," he noted.

"In essence, this means bringing NATO infrastructure even closer to the Russian borders," he added.

Situation in Afghanistan

After the United States announced plans for its troop pullout from Afghanistan, the Taliban embarked on a large-scale operation to take the country under its control. On August 15, Taliban fighters swept into Kabul without encountering any resistance and Afghan President Ashraf Ghani stepped down and fled the country. Those unwilling to accept Taliban rule banded together to form a resistance movement in the Panjshir Valley, led by Ahmad Massoud. Taliban Spokesman Zabihullah Mujahid said on September 6 that the movement had secured full control over Panjshir Province. Massoud, in turn, stated that the anti-Taliban resistance continues to fight on. On September 7, the Taliban announced a new Afghan government consisting only of the movement’s members, the majority of whom are ethnic Pashtuns.