Lavrov Warns of ISIS Threat from Afghan Soil to Central Asia

Sergey Lavrov, Russia’s Foreign Minister, has warned that the ISIS Khorasan branch currently poses the main security threat to Central Asian countries and seeks to use Afghan territory as a base for expansion and establishing a caliphate. He emphasized that this threat is transnational, requiring serious regional and international cooperation to counter it.

Lavrov made these remarks in a message delivered on the occasion of a meeting titled “Enhancing Capacity to Prevent Arms Supplies to Terrorists in Central Asia.” According to him, the fight against terrorism must be carried out without “double standards,” and global cooperation in this field should not fall victim to political rivalries. He criticized what he described as the “destructive policies of some Western countries.”

The Russian Foreign Minister also announced the approval of the draft “Collective Security Treaty Organization (CSTO) Counter-Terrorism Strategy until 2030” at the recent meeting of the organization’s foreign ministers in Kazan. He stated that this document is planned to be submitted to the heads of state for final approval this fall. Lavrov noted that Russia is one of the top ten financial contributors to the United Nations Counter-Terrorism Office and has so far dedicated seven million dollars to the agency’s programs in Central Asia and Africa.

In response, Zabihullah Mujahid, spokesperson for the Taliban administration, rejected Lavrov’s statements, claiming that ISIS no longer has a “physical presence” in Afghanistan. In an interview with the Taliban-controlled national television, he said the group’s movements have been suppressed and that there is no threat emanating from Afghan soil to regional countries.

These claims come amid repeated warnings from Russian officials in recent months about the possible infiltration of extremist groups and arms transfers from Afghanistan to Central Asia. Earlier, Russian President Vladimir Putin emphasized that Moscow cannot remain indifferent to threats originating from Afghan territory.

Additionally, the head of Russia’s Federal Security Service reported intensified activities of ISIS and its branches in Afghanistan, and the Russian Defense Minister stated that more than 20 radical groups with over 15,000 fighters are present in Afghanistan. The continuation of these warnings indicates that despite growing diplomatic ties between Moscow and the Taliban administration, security concerns about Afghanistan’s situation persist—raising serious questions about the Taliban’s ability to fully control extremist groups.