Russian defense chief slams ‘failed’ US-NATO Afghan gamble, says situation in dire st

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Russian defense chief slams ‘failed’ US-NATO Afghan gamble, says situation in dire straits
By: Tass Russian News Agency - 07-28-21
Re: https://tass.com/politics/1318533

Sergey Shoigu described the situation in Afghanistan as "quickly degrading and has gone out of the authorities’ control, while the Taliban group is already controlling most of the country’s territory"

DUSHANBE, July 28. /TASS/. The US-NATO mission in Afghanistan has utterly failed, and the situation there is rapidly deteriorating with the authorities having practically lost control of the situation, Russian Defense Minister Sergey Shoigu said on Wednesday.

"The developments on the country’s northern border areas and the mass exodus of Afghans into the territory of Tajikistan and Uzbekistan show that the accords between the United States and the Taliban Islamic movement (outlawed in Russia) are not being fulfilled," Shoigu said at a meeting of the defense ministers from the member states of the Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SCO).

The situation in Afghanistan "is quickly degrading and has gone out of the authorities’ control, while the Taliban group is already controlling most of the country’s territory," Shoigu pointed out.

"A cause for particular concern is that the ISIL [the former name of the Islamic State terrorist organization outlawed in Russia] and other international terrorist groups are strengthening their positions there, which has increased the danger of their infiltration into neighboring countries. Therefore, we have to state that the US and NATO mission in Afghanistan has failed," Russia’s defense chief said.

Russia’s defense minister earlier pledged that the Russian 201st military base in Tajikistan would provide military assistance to Tajikistan, if the country’s security was endangered by the developments in neighboring Afghanistan.

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Also: Putin, Slovenian president agree to establish Russia-Slovenia Friendship Day
Vladimir Putin also thanked Borut Pahor and the Slovenian people for their efforts to preserve the memory of Russian and Soviet soldiers killed in World Wars I and II and taking care of their graves.
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Tass Russian News Agency

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2nd. Post by Tass Russian News Agency

Taliban has detailed plan, and situation in Afghanistan develops in its favor, expert says
Re: https://tass.com/world/1317937

According to Andrey Kortunov, the further development of a political and economic conjuncture in Afghanistan would "largely depend on the character of relations between the big trio of regional actors"

MOSCOW, July 26. /TASS/. The Taliban militants (outlawed in Russia) are acting on a thoroughly thought-through strategic plan on the restoration of control over Afghanistan, and the current situation in the field is developing in their favor, Andrey Kortunov, CEO of the Russian International Affairs Council think tank, told TASS Monday.

"We can say now that the Taliban seem to have a rather thought-through and detailed strategic plan on restoring control over Afghanistan," the expert said. "The situation, of course, continues to sway in the Taliban’s favor."

The expert explained that the Taliban’s agenda encompasses at least two basic aspects and includes closing borders with Central Asian states on the north and with Iran on the west.

"They take control of both the international trade and potential arms shipments - everything that goes past the border," Kortunov said. "The second plan involves taking complete control of the rural areas in Afghanistan provinces and blocking major cities - first and foremost, Kabul, as well as a number of other cities."

Another part of the strategy of the Taliban, it being a Pashtun movement, is "neutralization of ethnic minorities" and thwarting all attempts at the restoration of the Northern Alliance of establishment of other "major political forces that may obstruct or counter the Taliban," Kortunov added.

A view on a perspective
Despite their successes on the ground, the Taliban "does not hurry to begin the attack on the capital," as they realize that urban warfare may have rather heavy consequences, Kortunov noted.

"The urban environment does not sympathize with the Taliban too much," he underscored. "As a result, they may face major casualties and have trouble seizing control over Afghanistan in the future."

According to the analyst, the factor of social perception, along with the threat of international sanctions, also play a significant role in keeping the movement from completely annihilating "the state structures and institutions established in the last 20 years."

"The previous experience of the Taliban being in power indicates that, even if the movement does not state a goal of social and economic modernization of the country, it is still necessary to fulfill some basic social and economic demands of the population to hold on to power," Kortunov noted. "Therefore, I think that we will see some transitional period, but it is obvious that the current president and its team will have to leave the political stage. Maybe, there will be some transitional period; maybe, some sort of a coalition government."

External factor
According to Kortunov, the further development of a political and economic conjuncture in Afghanistan would "largely depend on the character of relations between the big trio of regional actors." Those actors are, according to the expert: China, "which has the most significant interest in Afghanistan, and that the Taliban is most interested in"; Pakistan with its "traditional ties" with the Taliban; and, to a certain degree, Iran, whose position "in western Afghanistan has always been strong," and which it intends to "preserve and, maybe even reinforce."

"Most likely, this trio will interact with the Taliban, and it is clear who has what interests," Kortunov said. "It is very important for China to prevent Afghanistan from becoming a platform for terror attacks in Xinjiang. Clearly, there is an interest to prevent an influx of refugees, as well as concerns over drug trafficking. Overall, Russian interests coincide with the Chinese here."

On April 14, US President Joe Biden announced the withdrawal of US troops from Afghanistan. This led to a deterioration in security in Afghanistan, with the Taliban ramping up its offensive on a number of fronts. According to Taliban representatives, they were able to establish control over roughly 85% of territory, including borders with five countries: Iran, China, Pakistan, Tajikistan and Turkmenistan.

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Personal note: TASS has many more reports on a multitude of topics - how much of its FACT is to be considered:
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Another issue is the NATO movements which are of interest to Russia as well such a post is :
Press review: NATO ramps up drills in Ukraine, Georgia and Russia to monitor carbon online
Top stories from the Russian press on Monday, July 26th
Same site location if interested.
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Boats