Washington is withdrawing its troops from the territory of Afghanistan, effectively admitting defeat of its mission, Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov said in a lecture on “Russia’s International Activities for the Development of Russian Regions” at the Far Eastern Federal University
“The Taliban are behaving more belligerently because the agreement that was in place called for the formation of a transitional government, which would then prepare the conditions for the formation of more stable state structures. Unfortunately, the leaders in Kabul are not very willing to organize something transitional, they are afraid it will take them out of political activism”, – Lavrov said.
In his opinion, the U.S. withdrawal from Afghanistan leaves the whole situation to be solved by force. He added that the situation is worsened by the fact that niches are being created in Afghanistan where the Islamic State fighters are being drawn: they are purposefully settled in the northern provinces of the country.
Lavrov said, “The United States is not simply withdrawing troops from Afghanistan, it is withdrawing them, de facto recognizing the failure of its twenty-year mission.”
In addition, the minister noted that over 20 years of US and allied operations in Afghanistan, the terrorist and drug threats have grown significantly. According to Lavrov, “in the West, there are indications that US servicemen took part in transporting drug cargos.