Afghan forces to receive Russian arms as Moscow seeks expanded role

MOSCOW — Russia will ship small arms to Afghanistan next month, a top diplomat announced Wednesday, expanding Moscow’s role as the United States winds down its military mission and the Taliban and other militants appear to gain ground.

Russia is concerned that extremist factions in Afghanistan could spill over the northern borders into former Soviet Central Asian countries where Russia has a major military presence.

The decision also bolsters Russia’s role in a nation that was a Cold War-era ally and the scene of Moscow’s disastrous military intervention in the 1980s.

It comes at a time when Russia is expanding activities outside its borders, 
conducting wide-ranging airstrikes in Syria and pushing for a bigger international role to resolve a series of conflicts in Afghanistan, Syria and elsewhere.

The shipment of small arms will take place in February, but Russia has no plans to ship other weapons, said President Vladimir Putin’s special envoy for Afghanistan.

“For now this is quite sufficient,” the diplomat, Zamir Kabulov, told the Interfax news agency.

The United States and its allies have withdrawn most of their military presence over the past year, leaving Kabul searching for new partners in its efforts to fend off the Taliban. - Read More at the washingtonpost

Afghan forces to receive Russian arms as Moscow seeks expanded role

U.S. stock losses accelerate, pushing the Dow down more than 500 points