KABUL, AFGHANISTAN – The Collective Security Treaty Organization (CSTO), a military alliance of six Eurasian countries, has once again raised its concern over the spread of terrorism from Afghanistan into Central Asia.
As reported by the Russian TASS news agency, CSTO Secretary General Imangali Tasmagambetov emphasized during a meeting in Moscow that the organization continues to monitor threats emanating from Afghanistan.
“The threat of terrorist activity, illegal immigration, and the trafficking of weapons and drugs in the Central Asian region remains,” he said, adding that the CSTO is able to maintain control within its area of responsibility despite the severity of the issue.
According to the report, Tasmagambetov also mentioned that the CSTO’s counter-terrorism center and Commonwealth of Independent States (CIS), would strengthen their cooperation to address potential threats by utilizing shared resources and capabilities.
The Collective Security Treaty Organization (CSTO), established in 2002, is an intergovernmental military alliance in the Eurasian region. Its members include six post-Soviet states: Armenia, Belarus, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan, and Russia.
The Taliban’s takeover of Afghanistan has raised security concerns among its neighbors, particularly CSTO members and Pakistan. These fears are driven by the potential resurgence of terrorist groups like ISIS, Al-Qaeda, the Pakistani Taliban (TTP), and Jamaat Ansarullah, which pose a significant threat to the region.
In recent years, CSTO officials and member states have consistently expressed concerns over the growing presence and capabilities of international terrorist groups in Afghanistan, especially in the northern regions.
To mitigate the threat, the CSTO recently announced that it is working with its member states to establish a security belt along its borders with Afghanistan, a concept first proposed by Tajik President Emomali Rakhmon in 2022.
The regime in Kabul, however, has consistently denied the presence of terrorist groups in Afghanistan. The Taliban claims to have suppressed ISIS-K and asserts that Afghanistan poses no threat to any neighboring country. They further argue that neighboring countries should address their own security challenges, as the Taliban is not responsible for the security failures of its neighbors.
