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Moscow (AFP): The Kremlin criticised NATO's record in Afghanistan on Wednesday, saying the Taliban insurgency was the “price to pay” for a strategy of “courting” members of the ousted regime. “This Taliban insurgency is the price to pay for the NATO policy … where there are good and bad Taliban,” said Anatoly Safonov, an anti-terrorism special representative to Russian President Vladimir Putin.
“There are no good Taliban. We are not in agreement with them (NATO) in counting on the Taliban again, in courting them for tactical objectives,” Safonov told the Ria Novosti news agency, adding that he judged that NATO's strategy was “not very effective”.
“For example, there is neither a mandate nor a will for the international armed forces to combat drug trafficking,” he said. He added that Russia had always considered Afghanistan to be “a dead end, and it is getting worse”.
The leaders of the 26 NATO states, meeting in Riga, on Wednesday reaffirmed their military engagement in Afghanistan aimed at supporting a democratic government.
