TASHKENT, April 5. /TASS/. About 8,000 militants from Syria have moved to northern Afghanistan, the first deputy director of Russia’s federal security service FSB, Sergei Smirnov, said on Thursday.
"One of today’s decisions concerned this issue. We took note of Tajikistan’s warning of the threat coming from the territory of Afghanistan for the SCO countries which border on Afghanistan, directly or indirectly," Smirnov said. "In the territory of Afghanistan there are about 8,000 persons (militants), who, according to Tajikistan, had been forced to leave Syria," said Smirnov, who leads Russia’s delegation at a meeting of the Council of the SCO Anti-Terrorist Structure.
"Successful operations by our Aerospace Force in Syria have brought about a situation where militants, including those belonging to the Islamic State (international organization outlawed in Russia) crossed Iran and Turkey into Afghanistan to have reached its northern regions. This is clear to the law enforcement authorities of all countries involved," he said.
TASS