Russian Foreign Ministry: Consistent Pressure Should Be Exerted on Afghan Taliban

The Afghan Taliban remain a force that requires constant attention and consistent pressure, both military and political, Vyacheslav Trubnikov, First Deputy Foreign Minister of the Russian Federation and co-chairman of the Russia-US working group on combating terrorism, said in a RIA Novosti interview.

According to him, the Taliban are now actively regrouping their forces and stage increasingly frequent and well-organised attacks against international forces and representatives of international organisations in Afghanistan. Yet, the operations of the anti-terrorist coalition in that country have so far been little effective, the Russian diplomat said.

The Taliban and the remains of al-Qaeda "have managed to adapt" to the terms imposed on them and have worked out a guerrilla action tactics. They learned how to play on the frictions among Afghan field commanders and use the mistakes of the Afghan transitional administration. The situation is especially alarming in the south and south-east of Afghanistan - the areas adjacent to Pakistan, the Russian first deputy foreign minister believes.