Iran's Ambassador to the United Nations Mohammad Khazaei has censured the prolonged presence of foreign military forces in Afghanistan, which is bound to escalate insecurity in the war-wracked country.

We believe the long-term international [forces’] presence in Afghanistan should not lead to persistent presence of the foreign forces and the establishment of military bases in the country,” said Khazaei in an address to a UN Security Council meeting on Afghanistan on Wednesday.

He added that the longer the military forces stay in Afghanistan, the more instability will be created in the country.

Khazaei noted that the presence of foreign forces in Afghanistan for more than one decade has caused security concerns for neighboring and regional countries.
Elsewhere in his remarks, the Iranian envoy warned against the cultivation and smuggling of illicit drugs in Afghanistan which “will not only threaten Afghan neighboring countries, but other parts of the world and will have adverse consequences on development of countries.”

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News ID 182005