Russia warns against any foreign troops' presence in Afghanistan

Russia hosted a delegation of Afghanistan's ruling Taliban government on Tuesday and issued a strong warning against a foreign military presence in the country.

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Speaking at the start of an international meeting on Afghanistan in Moscow, Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov praised the Taliban government for efforts to combat Daesh and other extremist groups, as well as eradicate illegal drugs.

Lavrov emphasised that “the deployment of military infrastructure of any third countries on the territory of Afghanistan, as well as on the territories of neighbouring states, is categorically unacceptable under any pretext.”

Last month, the Afghan government rejected a bid by US President Donald Trump to retake Bagram Air Base, four years after the chaotic US withdrawal from the country left the sprawling military facility in the Taliban's hands.

“The military presence of any extra-regional players could only lead to destabilisation and new conflicts,” Lavrov said.

“The history of Afghanistan has seen a lot of situations with foreign military presence. I believe everyone should have drawn the right conclusions long time ago.”

Russia is not considering deploying military personnel to Afghanistan, the TASS state news agency reported on Tuesday, citing Moscow's special representative for the country, Zamir Kabulov.