Taliban fully or partially controls half of Afghanistan, claims Moscow

AVA- Russia’s foreign minister, Sergei Lavrov, in his speech at the Tashkent conference on Afghanistan, claimed that the Taliban group has fully or partially control over half of the territory of Afghanistan.
He said the group continues to conduct military and acts of sabotage which have resulted into the deteriorating security situation in Afghanistan.
He also insisted that achieving peace and stability in Afghanistan was only possible by launching a constructive dialogue beteween the Afghan government and the Taliban group.
Lavrov rejected that the conflict in Afghanistan would be resolved through use of power.
In other parts of his speech, Lavrov said his country was concerned regarding the growing activities of the Islamic State in Afghanistan, particularly in northern parts of the country.
This comes as President Ghani also warned the regional countries regarding the growing menace of terrorism posing threats to Afghanistan and other regional countries as he called for joint cooperation to implement the strategy against terrorism.
Speaking during the Tashkent Conference on Afghanistan, President Ghani said the terrorist groups do not recognize any geography, emphasizing that Afghans have made major sacrifices in the fight against terrorism, insisting that the fight against terrorism cannot be limited to one nation.
He suggested close regional cooperation and joint efforts to eliminate the threats posed by the terror groups and said a strong political will must exist to use the opportunities for the benefit of the region.