TEHRAN (TCA) — Iran’s top military commander says the United States is relocating Daesh (Islamic State) militants to Afghanistan after the terrorists have lost their strongholds in Iraq and Syria, Iran’s PressTV reported.
Chief of Staff of the Iranian Armed Forces Major General Mohammad Baqeri told Tasnim news agency on February 6 that continued tensions in Southwest Asia would provide the US with the pretext to prolong its military presence there.
A calm region, he said, would obviously mean that the US should withdraw its forces and that regional countries would take charge of their own security.
“After witnessing Daesh and other organized terrorist groups losing their ground in Iraq and Syria, they are now relocating them to Afghanistan,” which has become the scene of fresh explosions, assassinations and crimes, Baqeri said.
He warned that the US continues to work on such schemes and expressed hope that the Afghan people will join hands to counter these plots.
Late last month, Leader of the Iranian Islamic Revolution Ayatollah Seyyed Ali Khamenei issued a similar warning about Washington’s attempt to relocate Daesh from the Middle East to Afghanistan in an effort to come up with a legitimate excuse for its continued military presence in the region.
More recently, Daesh has established a foothold in eastern and northern Afghanistan and stepped up its attacks despite the presence of thousands of foreign troops there.
