By Hossein Bozorgmanesh
Most analysts of Middle
East’s developments argue that after the beginning of Russia’s military
operations in Syria, which are aimed at shoring up military forces of the
Syrian President Bashar Assad’s government, an unwritten alliance has come into
being among Iran, Russia, Syria and the Lebanese Hezbollah movement. As a
result of this alliance, a single front has emerged with the final goal of
keeping the Syrian government in place and destroying Islamist groups that are
against Assad, including Daesh and al-Nusra Front.
This front, in turn, has enabled the Syrian army to gradually purge critical areas of the country from terrorist elements with the help from Russia’s air force, and consolidate its grip on bigger swathes of Syrian territory. However, it must not be forgotten that threats posed by Daesh terrorist group and other extremist groups are not limited to Syria, but the threat of such extremist groups have been felt by Iran and Russia in the following three regions as well:
Image Attribute: Iranian President Hassan Rouhani and Russian President Vladmir Putin
Source: Wikimedia Commons
This front, in turn, has enabled the Syrian army to gradually purge critical areas of the country from terrorist elements with the help from Russia’s air force, and consolidate its grip on bigger swathes of Syrian territory. However, it must not be forgotten that threats posed by Daesh terrorist group and other extremist groups are not limited to Syria, but the threat of such extremist groups have been felt by Iran and Russia in the following three regions as well:
Iraq: Following the military invasion of Iraq
by the United States and the overthrow of the country’s former dictator, Saddam
Hussein, Americans dissolved the Iraqi army and its intelligence services. Due
to this issue as well as weak management of the country by the occupying
forces, the country became a major breeding ground for such extremist groups as
al-Qaeda. Later on, widespread discontent with the performance of the former
Iraqi prime minister, Nouri al-Maliki, and excessive demands by the country’s
Sunni population in addition to financial support from rich Arab countries of
the region, including Saudi Arabia, led to the emergence of Daesh terrorist
group in Iraq. In view of the long border that Iran has with Iraq, this group
can turn into a serious threat to Iran’s national security as well. Meanwhile,
presence of Chechen militants from Caucasus region in Iraq and their possible
return to Russia has been a major source of concern for Moscow.
Afghanistan: There are fertile grounds in Afghanistan
for the activities of various extremist groups such as Taliban, Hekmatyar
network and Al-Qaeda due to extreme poverty in the country, religious
fanaticism, weakness of the central government, mountainous terrain, and
existence of large farms where poppy is cultivated. As a result, many reports
have been published during the past months about the presence of covert and
operational Daesh cells in Afghan provinces of Ghazni, Faryab, Badakhshan, and
Sar-e Pol. The reports include pictures of a Daesh training camp in northern
Afghanistan, named after the group’s former Iraq commander, Abu Musab
al-Zarqawi. In view of the long border that Afghanistan has with Iran, if the
activities of Daesh terrorists spread to border provinces of Iran, it can have
serious security consequences for the Islamic Republic. On the other hand,
Russia is not happy about extensive presence of Chechen, Uzbek, and Tajik
militants in Afghanistan, especially along Afghanistan’s borders with
Tajikistan and Turkmenistan; a region that Moscow considers as its backyard.
Central Asia: The countries in Central Asia can be
considered among important regions that have been of interest to a host of
extremist Islamist groups following the collapse of the former Soviet Union.
The presence of such extremist groups as the Islamic Movement of Uzbekistan,
and the Islamic Renaissance Party of Tajikistan, in addition to extreme poverty
and religious fanaticism among a large part of people in Central Asian
countries, have provided a fertile ground for the activities of such extremist
groups as Daesh. Given the presence of Daesh in Afghanistan’s border regions
with Tajikistan and Turkmenistan, and widespread presence of immigrants from
Tajikistan and other regional countries in Russia, infiltration of Central Asia
by Daesh can have serious effects on the national security of Russia. Iran, on
the other hand, has long border with Turkmenistan and can, therefore, be
exposed to Daesh threat in its northeastern regions. Some developments, which
have been considered as signs of presence of Daesh in Central Asia, include
apprehension of 160 Daesh members in Tashkent by Uzbekistan’s security forces,
extensive online activity of Daesh supporters on various websites, joining
Daesh by Gulmurad Haliov, former commander of Tajikistan Interior Ministry’s
special police force, presence of more than 3,000 militants from regional
countries in Iraq and Syria, the announcement of solidarity with Daesh by the
Islamic Renaissance Party of Tajikistan, and activities carried out by covert
Daesh cells, which aim to recruit new members and promote the group’s ideas.
On the whole, the fight
against extremist groups in such countries as Iraq, Afghanistan and Central
Asia, needs Iran and Russia to join hands and cooperate with crisis-hit
countries in the region. Iran and Russia can play supplementary roles. For
example, with regard to Afghanistan, Iran can lend its support to grounds
forces as well as the related paramilitary forces that are affiliated to the
central government in Kabul, thus, taking a serious step in fighting such
extremist groups as Daesh. Russia, for its part, can bolster the Afghan air
force, which is suffering from major weaknesses due to reluctance of the United
States to equip Afghanistan’s air force with modern technology.
Key Words: Iran, Russia, Cooperation, Daesh,
Prospect, Middle East’s Developments, Syria, Bashar Assad, Daesh, Al-Nusra,
Iraq, Afghanistan, Central Asia, Grounds Forces, Air Force,
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