Russian Security Council Secretary Nikolai Patrushev, in an interview with the newspaper Argumenty i Fakty, commented on the US decision to withdraw its troops from Afghanistan.
“The US is leaving Afghanistan and the Afghan people in a very difficult position. During the stay of the Americans in the country, the situation has changed only for the worse”, – he said.
According to Patrushev, the United States tried to use Afghanistan “as a springboard for projecting its geopolitical influence in the region,” and now Russia and its partners “continue to deal with the difficult legacy of American geopolitics” in this country.
At the same time, as he recalled, despite the main task set by the United States in Afghanistan to destroy terrorists, this country “still invariably leads the list of countries most affected by terrorist attacks”. In addition, a threat is created to neighboring states.
Patrushev added that the United States did not solve the problem of combating drugs and training Afghan soldiers in Afghanistan either.
“Afghanistan still provides about 80% of the world’s illegal opiate trafficking. Afghan national security forces remain severely understaffed, suffer heavy casualties every day, and the level of desertion is on the rise”, – he concluded.