Afghanistan’s North New ‘Springboard’ For Terrorists: Russia

Both the Collective Security Treaty Organization--a military bloc of post-Soviet republics (CSTO)-- and the Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SCO) have focused their attention on the threats coming from Afghanistan, Lavrov said.
“The north of Afghanistan risks becoming a new springboard for IS-led international terrorist organizations (Daesh)," Lavrov said.
"Certainly, it requires relevant external assistance to Afghanistan in order to overcome those threats and challenges," he added.
He pointed out that recent experience demonstrates that economic cooperation with Afghanistan cannot be implemented unless the threats there are addressed.
"In this context, I would like to point out that this reality is the foundation for work of the SCO-Afghanistan contact group, which is implementing the road map, approved this year, for the development of cooperation between the SCO members and Kabul," he said.