Foreign forces to blame for insecurity in Afghanistan, region

Foreign forces behind Afghan insecurity

A senior Iranian lawmaker has blamed the US-led foreign forces in Afghanistan for the growing insecurity in the war-torn country and in the region.

“The pretext of the US and its allies for their presence in Afghanistan was to establish security in the region, but as we are witnessing today, not only was security not established, but [the foreign presence] also led to insecurity in the region,” Alaeddin Boroujerdi, the chairman of the National Security and Foreign Policy Committee of Iran’s Majlis, made the remarks in a Wednesday meeting with UN envoy to Afghanistan Jan Kubis.

The United States invaded Afghanistan in 2001 under the pretext of combating terrorism. The offensive removed the Taliban from power, but insecurity continues to grow across the country despite the presence of many US-led soldiers.

Boroujerdi added that the restoration of peace and stability in Afghanistan is of paramount importance to regional countries, adding, “The establishment of stability and tranquility in Afghanistan will contribute to [the creation of] lasting security in the region, and the Islamic Republic of Iran is ready for cooperation to help restore security, peace and development in this country.”

He pointed to the issue of ethnicity in Afghanistan, highlighting the need to strike a “logical balance” in the political structure of Afghanistan to restore security in the country.

Kubis, for his part, thanked Iran for its full support for the Afghan people and praised the Islamic Republic for delivering humanitarian aid to Afghanistan as well as hosting Afghan refugees.

He also underlined the need for cooperation among Afghanistan’s neighbors to see peace take hold in the country.