A senior Iranian diplomat says the US-led invasion of Afghanistan hasmerely led to the deterioration of the security situation in the Asiancountry, urging enhanced economic ties with Kabul to pave the way for aninternational fight against terrorism there.
Iranian Deputy Ambassador to the United Nations Es’haq Al-e Habib made theremarks on Friday at a Security Council meeting on the issue ofAfghanistan’s relations with its Central Asia neighbors and the linkbetween peace and security.
“Afghanistan has not become more secure in the wake of the US invasion,” hesaid. “The fact is that the invasion of Afghanistan, and basically anyinvasion in our region, has failed to improve the security situation.”link>
The Islamic Republic believes that Afghanistan should be turned into aplace for international cooperation rather than rivalry, he added.
“In the world today, peace, security and development cannot be bound to asingle country’s borders and can only be achieved within all-inclusiveregional frameworks,” the Iranian envoy said.
Al-e Habib further stressed that increasing economic cooperation withAfghanistan promotes the fight against terrorism.
Over the past decade, Iran has stressed the need for reinforcing economicties with Afghanistan as an approach towards restoring regional peace, theofficial noted.
Iran has implemented more than 300 infrastructure projects in Afghanistan,worth about $500 million in total, and hosted millions of Afghan refugeesover the past three decades, he pointed out.
Afghanistan’s Deputy Foreign Minister Hekmat Khalil Karzai (L) speaks withIran’s Deputy Ambassador to the UN Es’haq Al-e Habib at a UN SecurityCouncil meeting on Afghanistan in New York on January 19, 2018. (Photo byAP)
The US and its allies invaded Afghanistan under the guise of the so-calledwar on terror. Some 17 years on, the local Taliban militant group has onlyboosted its campaign of violence across the country, targeting bothcivilians and security forces in bloody assaults.
More recently, Daesh terror group has also taken advantage of the chaos andestablished a foothold in eastern and northern Afghanistan.
The Takfiri outfit has stepped up its terror attacks in the war-torncountry after losing its bases in Iraq and Syria despite the presence ofthousands of foreign troops on Afghan soil.
Daesh elements heading to Afghanistan: Russia
During Friday’s meeting, Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov warned thatsurviving Daesh militants are fleeing from Syria to Central Asia andAfghanistan.
“Northern Afghanistan is turning into a foothold of international terrorismwith the Afghan wing of ISIS (Daesh) in the lead,” Lavrov said, adding thatthe terror outfit is “forming a staging ground to carry out destructiveplans in the region.”
The Russian foreign minister further raised concerns about drug productionin Afghanistan that “saw an unprecedented growth” last year.link>PressTV-10,000+ Daesh militants present in Afghanistan: Russialink>Russia says there are more than 10,000 Daesh terrorists in Afghanistan andthat number is growing.link>
“Urgent measures are necessary to cut off this threat which fuelsinternational terrorism, undermines countries’ stability, the health of theyounger generation, triggers crime and corruption,” he said.
US, Pakistan trade barbs
The American and Pakistani officials engaged in a war of words duringFriday’s meeting.
US Deputy Secretary of State John Sullivan said Washington can’t work withPakistan if it continues to give sanctuary to “terrorist organizations.”
In response, Pakistan’s UN Ambassador Maleeha Lodi said that Afghanistanand its partners, especially the US, need to address “challenges insideAfghanistan rather than shift the onus for ending the conflict onto others.”
Washington-Islamabad ties sourced last August after the US accused Pakistanof providing a haven for extremist groups that carry out attacks inAfghanistan; an allegation rejected by Islamabad.