Alexander Bortnikov, director of Russia's Federal Security Service (FSB), stated at a meeting of the Council of Heads of Security and Special Services of the CIS that the Islamic State's Khorasan Province (ISIS-K) branch in Afghanistan is actively recruiting nationals from CIS countries into terrorist structures.

According to Bortnikov, ISIS-K is recruiting militants from other terrorist organizations and attracting supporters from among citizens of Tajikistan, Uzbekistan, Kyrgyzstan, and Kazakhstan, as well as labor migrants in Russia. Covert terrorist networks are being established across CIS territory, along with channels for resource supply and preparation of terrorist acts.

Early this year, the FSB jointly with Tajik counterparts uncovered and neutralized a terrorist cell planning high-profile attacks. Additionally, in cooperation with Uzbekistan's State Security Service, five terrorist attacks were prevented at the preparation stage in various Russian regions, including Moscow.

Bortnikov noted that ISIS-K, affiliated jihadist groups, and the anti-Taliban armed opposition, allegedly supported by British intelligence, continue attempts to weaken Kabul's authority. They seek to expand areas beyond Taliban control, particularly in the north. Western countries purportedly aim to use this region to influence Central Asian republics.

The FSB chief emphasized the importance of developing anti-terror contacts with Afghan counterparts. Russia is supposedly working to facilitate political stabilization in Afghanistan and normalize Kabul-Islamabad relations, as stability in the Afghan-Pakistani region is claimed to be vital for CIS security.

Source: podrobno.uz