Russia could be aiding the Taliban in Afghanistan, according to Europe’s top U.S. general, citing Moscow’s growing influence in the country overtaken by the group that was partly responsible for 80 percent of civilian Afghan causalities in 2012.
Army Gen. Curtis Scaparrotti made the claim at a Senate Armed Services Committee hearing in Washington on Thursday.
“I’ve seen the influence of Russia of late – increased influence in terms of association and perhaps even supply to the Taliban,” Scaparrotti said, The Telegraph reported.
Russia denied any association with the Taliban on Friday, calling the accusation a “lie,” Reuters reported.
According to BBC News, Zamir Kabulov, Russia’s envoy in Afghanistan, said Friday the allegation was “absolutely false.”
This comes after the Kremlin said in December 2015 that “the Taliban interest objectively coincides with ours,” despite previously referring to the Taliban as a terrorist organization.
However, Pentagon officials are on record saying Russia has merely been manipulating the Taliban as a way to counter NATO.
Afghan troops have struggled in their fight against the Taliban since 2014, when the majority of Western forces withdrew from the country. Many of those struggles have been due to a lack of the necessary military equipment.
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