India discusses security repercussions of Afghan file with Central Asian countries

The escalating events in Afghanistan pose serious security consequences for neighboring countries, especially in Central Asia, which seeks to secure itself against the attacks of the takfirist expansion affected by the alleged successes of the Taliban, in addition to the fears of major Asian countries about the deterioration of security in the region.

India held a security meeting with officials of Central Asian countries during which they discussed the repercussions of the Afghan file on the security of the region, as well as the measures that can be taken to undermine terrorism and prevent the spread of violent organizations, as India believes that what happened in Afghanistan should not extend its effects regionally, in addition to the need for cooperation between neighboring countries to reduce the negative effects resulting from the current unrest.

Regional cooperation to remedy negative results in Afghanistan

Indian National Security Advisor Ajit Doval said on December 6 that Asian countries must provide effective responses to the Afghan developments in order to avoid the negative effects of what is happening in Kabul, adding that his meeting with officials of Central Asian countries focused on discussing ways of cooperation between the countries of the region to support security and common interests.

During his meeting with his counterparts from Kyrgyzstan, Uzbekistan, Tajikistan and Kazakhstan in New Delhi, Doval stressed that Afghanistan is an important issue for Asia and that what is happening in Kabul should not be used to carry out terrorist operations that threaten the security of the region, noting that major fluctuations are currently being witnessed in relations between countries, with a somewhat vague future.

During the meeting, India announced its fear that Afghanistan would be used as a place to harbor terrorists or train them to carry weapons and manufacture explosives in order to maintain security, but this fear was one of the important conditions for completing the withdrawal deal between the Taliban and the United States in February 2020, as Washington stressed that it and its allies withdrew from the country after making sure that the country will not become a camp for terrorism.

The meeting, which Turkmenistan did not attend, discussed the problem of terrorist propaganda and recruitment, as well as fundraising. The gathered countries fear common points of cooperation between terrorist groups and organized crime gangs in the region to finance violent operations and harm the economies of the region’s countries, in addition to fears of exploiting the Taliban’s accession to power will be exploited as part of negative propaganda mechanisms used to entice disturbed people to join extremist groups.

These fears are based on the actual presence of extremist groups in the region that could potentially exploit the rise of ISIS for further recruitment into its ranks. The most prominent of these groups is the Islamic Movement of Uzbekistan, which was loyal to al-Qaeda and contributed to the attacks carried out by the terrorist organization, according to reports of the United Nations Security Council, which included the group on its terrorism list in October 2001.

The assembled countries did not neglect talking about the deteriorating humanitarian conditions in Afghanistan as a result of the ongoing conflict in the country, stressing their intention to send aid to the people to overcome the existing crisis. On the other hand, the deterioration of the economic and security conditions threatens more waves of migration, which is an increasingly resonating concern.

International competition and Central Asia’s capabilities

Central Asia is filled with valuable resources that motivate major powers to compete to achieve their interests in the region. Hence, the possibility of the spread of terrorism or invoking the extremist rhetoric of victories in Kabul impede the progress of the foreign investment file and threaten the region with theories of employing terrorist organizations as a cover for international exploitation.

On this issue, Nourhan El-Sheikh, a professor of political science at Cairo University and a researcher specializing in Asian affairs, said in a previous statement to the Reference that some countries in the region are members of the Collective Security Treaty Organization, which is a political and military alliance led by Russia. In addition, the rest of the countries are members of the Shanghai Cooperation Organization led by China and Russia, and therefore the countries of the region are keen to keep it safe and not exploited from outside.