Posted on 08/15/2021 12:37:58 PM PDT by Pining_4_TX
Russia’s shadow is extending over Afghanistan’s end-game as Moscow fortifies positions in neighboring Central Asian countries to guard against any destabilizing spill-over.
While Russia has declared it views the Taliban as a “responsible people”, it’s not taking any strategic chances as Islamic terror and militant groups previously in the shadows rise to the fore amid the new civil war.
At the forefront of Russia’s concern is the Islamic State Khorasan (IS-K), the transnational extremist jihadi group’s Afghanistan-based offshoot with links to his mother ISIL organization in the Middle East. While China seeks to drive a wedge between the Taliban and its allied, anti-China East Turkestan Islamic Movement (ETIM), Russia does not need to press the Taliban on IS-K.
Both the Taliban and Afghan National Defense forces are battling IS-K, which has in recent years has suffered significant losses and territory. But some observers speculate the jihadi group is poised for a resurgence as the Taliban focuses on seizing Kabul, ousting President Ashraf Ghani’s US-backed government and entering the internationally accepted political mainstream.
IS-K has sustained big battlefield setbacks in recent fighting, including near-eradication from its main Afghan base in Nangarhar province in November 2019 and further losses in its refuge in neighboring Kunar province in early 2020, a United Nations Security Council report notes. The UN’s Monitoring Team estimates IS-K’s numbers in Afghanistan are now as low as 2,200.
(Excerpt) Read more at asiatimes.com ...
The US media hasn't a clue about what goes on in other parts of the world. They are too busy trying to wreck the US.
Russia has no fear of islamists. Never had. And they don’t threaten Russian interests now. Let see a future. IMHO Russia will not interfere on a ground until islamists enter south Kazakhstan if can. Central Asia should fight them on their own. Russia may help with airforce like in Syria but that is it.
Russia has a fairly large Muslim population, though, right?
What happens if Russia's muslims start becoming radicalized?
"Russia is becoming increasingly a Muslim country. Out of a total population of over 146 million (including two million in annexed Crimea), it counts about 15 million people of Muslim background—even if not all are believers and even fewer practice Islam. Given forthcoming demographic changes, by around 2050 Muslims will represent between one third (according to the most conservative estimates) and one half (according to the most ‘alarmist’ assessments) of the Russian population."
https://jamestown.org/program/marlene-laruelle-how-islam-will-change-russia/
“Russia has no fear of islamists. Never had.”
https://www.foxnews.com/world/russia-plagued-by-islamic-terror-attacks
Not to mention the conflicts in Chechnya and the North Caucasus.
Attacks were but fear not. It was just a war. Islamists are enemies but nothing new in it. Now islamists wasted off and war ended.
Yeah Russia has a Muslim population but they are civil and moderate muslims. Islamism is forbidden. Actually islamists hate a moderate muslims more than cristians so they are a first allies to fight islamists.
What happens if Russia’s muslims start becoming radicalized?==
Very simple. FSB will find them and send to prison for many years where they will work building some infrastructure projects: roads, bridges etc. If they give armed resistance then FSB antiterrorist team will just kill them using overwhelm firepower.
“Attacks were but fear not”
The fear surrounding Islamists in Russia also concerns long-run demographic trends. The Islamic population in the Russian Federation is growing rapidly because of high birth rates, while the European population is growing much more slowly and will ultimately decline because of relatively low birth rates.
The fear surrounding Islamists in Russia also concerns long-run demographic trends. The Islamic population in the Russian Federation is growing rapidly because of high birth rates, while the European population is growing much more slowly and will ultimately decline because of relatively low birth rates. ==
Com’on you telling me what you red in American press about Russia?)) It is like I will tell you what I red about America in Russian press.
The demographic trends in Russia are public knowledge, even in Russia, and are widely discussed there. Putin introduced a pro-natalist policy a few years ago to increase birth rates. There was a short-run upward blip, and then the birth rate flat-lined again.
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