Russia and West exchange heated words over Afghanistan, Iraq, and Syria
By Khaama Press - Tue Dec 12 2017, 9:56 am
The Russian and US-led coalition officials have reportedly exchanged heated words over the circumstances surrounding the anti-terror fight in Afghanistan, Syria, and Iraq as well as the recent breakthroughs achieved in anti-IS fight in Syria.
According to RT Russian television network, the spokesperson of the ministry of foreign affairs of Russia Maria Zakharova reacted at the remarks of the anti-IS coalition and Western officials after they downplayed the role of the Russian military in suppressing the terror group in Syria.
Zakharova has reportedly ‘advised’ Western politicians to focus on their perceived successes in Afghanistan, Iraq, and Libya, where over the years, hundreds of thousands of people have been killed, infrastructure destroyed and vast numbers left in ruins.
A spokesman for the anti-IS US-led coalition had reportedly earlier that “The US-led coalition, not the Russian Federation or Syrian Regime, is the only force that has made meaningful progress against [Daesh/ISIS].”
The latest heated exchange between Moscow and the West comes as tenions are also on the rise in Afghanistan as the country has often been accused of supporting the Taliban group.
A number of the Taliban group commanders had earlier said Russian intelligence agencies have stepped up aid to the Taliban insurgents to fight the NATO-led coalition forces in Afghanistan.
The Taliban sources told a British newspaper, The Times, in mid-October that the group mainly receives the funding in a covert way, involving large quantities of fuel deals.
The sources further added that the monthly funding of the Taliban by the Russian intelligence amounts to nearly 2.5 million US Dollars.
A Taliban leader in southeastern Ghazni province told the paper “We sell the fuel on and distribute the money directly to our commanders.”
The Taliban leader further added “Accepting money from the Russians is not something we like doing. but it is necessary at this stage of our jihad.”
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