Russia says ISIS is shifting its focus to Afghanistan (Photo: VNA) |
General Andrey Novikov warned that ISIS seeks to subdue some Taliban militants and other local extremist groups to create a new power base in Afghanistan and extend its influence to central Asia. Addressing two UN Security Council committees on Friday, Novikov said ISIS is trying to introduce a new extremist and terrorist model from the battle zones in Syria and Iraq to the central Asian region. He emphasized that the Taliban’s increasing operations in north Afghanistan may indicate that some Taliban commanders are ready to join ISIS.