The Taliban has once again denied the presence of ISIS in Afghanistan, following renewed concerns raised by a senior Russian security official over the group’s alleged activities in the region.
Hamdullah Fitrat, deputy spokesperson for the Taliban, said in an interview with the state-run Radio Television Afghanistan (RTA) that ISIS has been “suppressed” and no longer operates within Afghan territory.
His remarks came in response to statements by Yury Kokov, deputy secretary of Russia’s Security Council, who said Moscow remains deeply concerned about ISIS’s intentions in Afghanistan. According to Kokov, the group aims to use Afghan territory to infiltrate Central Asian nations and Russia itself.
Despite Fitrat’s assurances, Kokov reiterated that Afghanistan continues to pose a source of instability and a threat to neighbouring countries.
While Russia maintains diplomatic and limited economic ties with the Taliban-led government, it remains wary of extremist groups and arms trafficking spilling over into Central Asia, a region viewed by Moscow as a strategic buffer zone.
