Russian Defence Minister Sergei Shoigu said that Afghanistan is one of the hotbeds of instability in the region.

Addressing a meeting of the Collective Security Treaty Organisation (CSTO) Shoigu added that illegal armed groups have strengthened in Afghanistan under the Taliban.

The CSTO defence ministers gathered in Minsk and discussed the challenges, threats, instability, and bilateral cooperation of the organisation on Thursday.

Armenia, Belarus, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Russia, and Tajikistan are members of the Collective Security Treaty Organisation.

In the last two years, these countries have held several joint military exercises near the borders of Afghanistan to prevent the infiltration of extremists from the country.

The CSTO member states have expressed their concerns about the active presence of terrorist groups on the borders of Afghanistan.

However, the Russian defence minister warned CSTO member states at the meeting in Minsk that in the future, it is possible for illegal armed groups in Afghanistan to infiltrate neighbouring countries to carry out terrorist acts.

According to Russian media outlets, Shoigu accused the US of planning to use militias in Afghanistan to destabilise the region. He claimed that for this purpose, the transfer of militants from controlled gangs in the Middle East to Afghanistan has been organised.

Shoigu stressed that given the current situation in Afghanistan, it is important to conduct joint exercises bilaterally and multilaterally.