ASTANA. Sept 8 (Interfax) - Growing terrorist groups in Afghanistan pose a real threat to projects of the Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SCO), Deputy Chairman of the Kazakh National Security Committee Ruslan Seisembayev said.
"The available information brings us to the conclusion that terrorist threats to SCO member states are forming under the influence of a number of prevailing factors. The lingering terrorist potential in Afghanistan remains a key one. The Taliban movement (banned in Russia), which came to power in Afghanistan in 2021, has been unable to create an effective system of public administration and to provide proper control and security. The country remains a center of attraction for international terrorist groups," Seisembayev said at a meeting of the Council of the SCO Regional Anti-Terrorist Structure (RATS) in Astana on Friday.
The enhancing potential of Wilayat Khorasan (banned in Russia), a branch of the ISIL international terrorist organization (banned in Russia), is the biggest threat, he said.
"In total, the emerging situation creates a real threat to the implementation of largescale projects in the territory of SCO member states. These include the construction of the Termez-Kabul-Peshawar rail corridor and the TAPI gas pipeline to transport Turkmen gas to India across Afghanistan and Pakistan," he said.
Wilayat Khorasan has grown from less than 500 people to 6,000 better trained terrorist fighters, he said.
Wilayat Khorasan members have perpetrated bold attacks on the Russian and Pakistani embassies, and shot and killed Chinese citizens at a Kabul hotel, Seisembayev said. The leaders of this group regularly call for jihad on both the United States and China, as well as Russia and Pakistan, he said.
Al-Qaeda (banned in Russia) is also based in Afghanistan and unites up to 500 fighters, he said.
"Although Wilayat Khorasan and Al-Qaeda control part of the territories, they are quite capable of high-profile attacks. An analysis of the situation allows predicting a further high level of terrorist threat in Afghanistan and the probability of its export into the SCO, which surrounds the country in every direction. Under these circumstances, an improvement of methods of practical interaction between intelligence, counterintelligence, border and law enforcement agencies of SCO member states acquires keynote significance," Seisembayev said.