MOSCOW, January 17. /TASS/. American experts’ comments on Russia’s alleged arms supplies to the National Resistance Front of Afghanistan in the Panjshir province are insinuations, Russian Foreign Ministry Spokeswoman Maria Zakharova said in a statement on Monday.
"We drew attention to the comments by some American Russophobic experts published in social networks on alleged Russian arms supplies to the National Resistance Front of Afghanistan in the province of Panjshir. Russia is indicated as a producer country of these weapons. We resolutely reject such insinuations," the spokeswoman said.
"Anticipating possible subsequent fake news reports on this issue, we deem it necessary to state the following: Russia did not participate in any way whatsoever and is not going to participate in arming the Afghan conflicting parties," the Russian diplomat pointed out.
Moscow is convinced that arms supplies to the conflicting parties in Afghanistan will not contribute to stabilizing the situation in Afghanistan and will, on the contrary, exacerbate the intra-Afghan contradictions "fraught with instigating a civil war based on ethnic strife," the spokeswoman stressed.
"This scenario fundamentally contradicts Russia’s interests," the diplomat said.
The Taliban radical militant group (outlawed in Russia) launched a large-scale offensive to seize control of Afghanistan after the United States declared its intention in the spring of last year to withdraw its troops from the country.
On August 15, the Taliban swept into Kabul without encountering any resistance while Afghan President Ashraf Ghani stepped down and fled the country. The Afghan forces opposing the radicals’ rise to power in the country put up resistance in Panjshir, which was led by Ahmad Massoud, son of the famed guerilla commander Ahmad Shah Massoud (1953-2001). Former Vice President Amrullah Saleh, who declared himself "caretaker president," urged the country to support it.
Taliban Spokesman Zabihullah Mujahid announced on September 6 that the radical group had secured full control over the Panjshir province and the war on Afghan territory was over. The Taliban also appointed a new governor of the mutinous province.
Massoud, in turn, stated that the anti-Taliban resistance continued to fight on. Ali Maysam Nazari, the Front’s spokesman, clarified later that the resistance was switching to guerrilla warfare tactics.