Moscow Slams US ‘Russia-Arms-Taliban’ Remarks as ‘Red Herring’ to Divert Focus from Syria

Rasa - Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov said Washington’s statements alleging that Russia supplied weapons to Afghanistan’s Taliban, are aimed at diverting attention from US plans for Syrian regime change.

News ID: 429249

Date: 26 April 2017 - 21:48

RNA - "I consider it to be an attempt to divert attention from some plots concerning the Syrian issue. Our suspicion in this regard has been growing lately," the Russian top diplomat noted, TASS reported.

"We can see that some of our counterparts wish to abandon the United Nations Security Council resolution on a political settlement based on intra-Syrian dialogue. Instead, they seek to return to the good old methods of regime change," Lavrov added.

"Of course, we will oppose these attempts," the top diplomat stressed.

Washington’s allegations that Russia is supplying weapons to the Taliban are unprofessional and untrue, Lavrov emphasized.

"As for allegations about our supplying the Taliban with weapons voiced by Washington’s military brass and from US commanders in that region, including Afghanistan, these are unprofessional declarations based on nothing," Lavrov said, adding that "no matter what negativity might be hurled at Russia now, not a single piece of evidence to these assertions has been offered."

"I am confident that those in the United States who are paid for supplying their national leaders with reliable intelligence know only too well that these allegations are untrue," he noted.

"These people, I am confident of that too, know who arms and support the ISIL in Iraq, Syria, and, of course, in Afghanistan where the ISIL has already taken root. I think they know it too," Russian foreign minister underlined.

Lavrov said Moscow believes it is necessary that the Taliban engages in dialogue with Kabul to achieve peace in Afghanistan, adding that the group must “stop violence, cut ties with terrorism, respect the constitution.”

During US Defense Secretary James Mattis’ visit to Afghanistan on Monday, the head of the US and international forces in Afghanistan, General John Nicholson, accused Russia of sending weapons to Taliban.

The US military campaign in Afghanistan ended in 2014, though 9,800 US soldiers remain there to assist Afghan forces, and the US seeks to boost its military forces on the ground, after General John Nicholson stated that the US “cannot afford to walk away from Afghanistan,” asking Congress to send “a few thousand more” troops.

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