Russia: Afghan instability heightens with hasty US retreat

Russia says America's hasty retreat from Afghanistan has further destabilized the region and worsened the terrorist threat

TASHKENT, Uzbekistan -- America’s hasty retreat from Afghanistan has destabilized the region and worsened the terrorist threat, Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov told a conference of world powers and Afghanistan's neighbors Friday as they sought a common path toward resolving the country's escalating violence. Participants gathering in the Uzbek capital of Tashkent traded stinging criticisms and finger-pointing over the rapidly deteriorating situation in Afghanistan. Taliban forces have surged in recent weeks, capturing dozens of districts and key border region from the faltering Afghan security forces and military as the U.S. and NATO complete their withdrawal. The conference had originally been intended to discuss building better transportation links across Central and South Asia, but that agenda was trumped by the Taliban advances. All the participants — including the U.S., Russia, China and many of Afghanistan’s neighbors — have hands in the Afghan conflict. Few want an outright Taliban takeover in the country, but the conference's early tone pointed to the difficulty of finding common ground over how to salvage a peaceful settlement.