MOSCOW, June 26. /TASS/. Moscow is deeply concerned about supporters of the Islamic State militant organization (IS, banned in Russia) operating in Afghanistan, who are planning to export terrorism to Central Asian countries and eventually to Russia, Deputy Secretary of Russia’s Security Council Yury Kokov said in an interview with Rossiyskaya Gazeta.
Kokov emphasized that despite the cessation of large-scale hostilities, instability that poses a threat to neighboring states continues to persist in Afghanistan.
"Particular concern is caused by the plans of the international terrorist organization Islamic State, banned in Russia, to export terrorism to Central Asia and subsequently to Russia," he noted.
The risks posed by radical Islamist groups consolidating power and expanding their influence into Central Asian nations - particularly Tajikistan and Uzbekistan - have also become more acute, Kokov stated. "These risks are exacerbated by close familial and business ties between citizens of these countries and religious communities in other CIS states, including Russia," he explained. "Coupled with the still-simplified procedures for labor migration within the Eurasian Economic Union, the potential for radical Islamist organizations to spread their influence across the post-Soviet space is growing," Kokov added.
