MOSCOW. June 24 (Interfax) - International terrorists may use Afghanistan to build a secret jihadist network and to infiltrate neighboring countries, Russian Defense Minister Sergei Shoigu said.
"International terrorist ringleaders view the Afghan territory as a base for infiltrating neighboring countries and creating a vast secret jihadist network, in particular, by transferring fighters from hotbeds," Shoigu said at a meeting of the Russian and Central Asian defense ministers on Friday.
The ideology of religious radicalism, drug trafficking, and transborder crime are spreading in the region, he said.
Shoigu noted the need for stronger coordination between law enforcement agencies of Central Asian countries and Russia to counter the terrorist activity in the region and to elaborate a common approach to such efforts.