Paul Globe
The Taliban’s takeover of Afghanistan threatens to destabilize the North Caucasus for three interrelated reasons. First, the Taliban victory is certain to inspire Islamist rebel groups in that region of southern Russia to act, just as earlier Islamist victories in the Middle East motivated them in the past. Second, following the fall of Kabul, a large number of North Caucasians who went to Afghanistan to fight for the Taliban or one of its allies (or even its supposed opponent, the Islamic State) are likely to return to their homelands to try to promote jihad there and possibly boost their chances by earning money through drug trafficking. And third, as is often forgotten, the North Caucasus remains a breeding ground for homegrown radicals—something Russian repression has hidden but not ended, because, so far, Moscow has taken few steps to actually improve living conditions among the local indigenous peoples (see EDM, July 28).
Taliban Triumph in Afghanistan Echoes in Russia’s North Caucasus – Jamestown
