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By Interaction Desk

It seems true that the United States is facilitating the rise of ISIS in Afghanistan due to which has become cautious and active to counter ISIS threat. Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov met with his Pakistani counterpart to discuss the threat of the Islamic State (ISIS) in Afghanistan. In a press conference after their meeting, Lavrov described the presence of ISIS in northern and eastern Afghanistan as “rather serious,” and showed concern that there were thousands of ISIS gunmen operating across the war-torn country. Russia’s frequent concern of the Islamic State’s presence in Afghanistan has been closely intertwined with Russian President Vladimir Putin’s broader internal consolidation and foreign policy objectives. Russian policymakers have emphasized the ISIS threat to unite anti-Western nationalists around Russia’s expanded diplomatic involvement in Afghanistan, strengthen Moscow’s alliances with Central Asian countries, and establish common ground with Pakistan on the resolution of Afghanistan’s political crisis.

Since U.S. President Donald Trump authorized a MOAB (“mother of all bombs”) strike in April 2017 that killed 92 ISIS militants in Afghanistan, Russian officials have argued that U.S. policymakers have become complacent about the Islamic State’s ability to threaten regional stability. To highlight this perceived policy failure, Russia’s special envoy to Afghanistan Zamir Kabulov released a statement in December 2017 that praised Russia for being one the first countries to label ISIS as a major security challenge, and claimed that over 10,000 ISIS militants were present in Afghanistan, with many arriving from Syria and Iraq. The narrative that Washington has not adequately responded to the Islamic State’s rise remains at the forefront of Russian official rhetoric on Afghanistan. Lavrov reiterated Kabulov’s concerns about ISIS fighters migrating from the Middle East to Afghanistan, and decried NATO’s failure to devote adequate resources to defeating this threat.

American counters the narrative of Russia by saying that Russia is looking for greater influence with Taliban. Russia and other countries like could counter Daesh menace by strengthening Taliban as in recent months; Tajikistan has allegedly assisted Moscow’s supplies of light weaponry to the Taliban’s anti-ISIS operations, and facilitated Russia’s pre-emptive defensive measures against ISIS. Russia in this way “displays of support against ISIS this way Moscow as a benevolent protector of Central Asian countries against terrorism rather than as a hegemonic actor. Further it can enhance effectiveness of its regional alliances. For this very Pakistan and Russia are close relation as Pakistan has been much affected by the terrorism. Though Pakistan has very impressively controlled terrorism by the west but still it needs the help of friends to counter Daesh in the time to come.

On March 21, Russia held a Joint Working Group (JWG) on counter terrorism with Pakistan at the Pakistani Ministry of Foreign Affairs in Islamabad. After this JWG, officials from both countries described the threat of ISIS in Afghanistan as a “grave concern,” and argued that the diffusion of foreign fighters from Iraq and Syria to South Asia was a major threat to regional stability. Pakistani officials have shared Russia’s focus on ISIS in Afghanistan, because Islamic State’s rise is a symbol of the ineffectiveness of U.S. Counter terrorism strategies in SA. As Pakistan continues to face international scrutiny for its links to the Taliban and Haqqani Network, Russia’s strategy of blaming Washington for the poor security situation in Afghanistan is appealing to Pakistani policymakers, and could cause collaboration against ISIS to act as a stepping stone for a more comprehensive Russia-Pakistan security partnership. Russia needs to upgrade its support to its alliances with Central Asian countries, and strengthen Russia’s partnership with Pakistan. The success of this strategy ensures that Russia will continue to frame its involvement in Afghanistan around combatting the receding threat of ISIS for the foreseeable future.

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