Afghanistan wants Iran to rid it of terrorism scourge

Afghanistan's Defense Minister Tariq Shah Bahrami has discussed stepped-up military and defense cooperation with Iran which is wary of Daesh's presence near its borders. 

Bahrami is currently on an official visit to Tehran where he met Chief of Staff of the Iranian Armed Forces Major General Mohammad Baqeri on Sunday after holding talks with his counterpart Brigadier General Amir Hatami.

Bahrami said his trip is aimed at expanding cordial relations between the two nations and their armed forces and securing Iran's help to rid Afghanistan of the terrorism scourge. 

Iran was key to the defeat of Daesh in the region and Iraqi and Syrian leaders have repeatedly thanked the Islamic Republic for its military advisory assistance to the countries. 

After losing its bases in Iraq and Syria, Daesh has established a foothold in eastern and northern Afghanistan despite the presence of foreign troops and stepped up its terror attacks in recent months. 

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Iran, China and Russia have warned about the growing presence of the Takfiri terrorists in Afghanistan.

Last month, the terrorist group claimed an attack among a large crowd outside a voter registration center in Kabul that killed 57 people and wounded more than 100 others. 

The Taliban have also escalated their attacks as part of their spring offensive and on Friday, they killed more than 30 policemen in separate assaults in the western Farah Province.

Senior Iranian officials have warned that the US was relocating Daesh to Afghanistan. In January, Leader of the Islamic Revolution Ayatollah Seyyed Ali Khamenei said the relocation was meant to justify US military presence in Afghanistan. 

Since the US invasion in 2001, Afghanistan has become less stable due to increased warlord and Taliban activity, growing illegal drug production, and a fragile government undercut by foreign military operations. 

Some 17 years on, the Taliban rule supreme and the US which invaded Afghanistan with the express aim of toppling the group is interested in negotiating with the militants more than ever before. 

On Sunday, Baqeri reiterated Iran's readiness to help Afghanistan, saying the Islamic Republic's affinity is rooted in the two neighbors' common culture and civilization.

"After the victory of the Islamic Revolution and the military invasion of Afghanistan, Iran has always tried to stand by the Afghan nation and help it push ahead with the battle against the occupiers," Baqeri said.

Bahrami thanked Iran for its assistance to the Afghan poeple, saying his country seeks to expand relations in a way that would serve the interests of both nations.

The Afghan minister traveled to Iran on Saturday at the head of a high-ranking defense and military delegation.

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The Iranian defense minister says the emergence and rise of the Daesh terrorist group in Afghanistan is very dangerous.

He met with Iran's defense minister on Saturday and is expected to sit down with Secretary of Iran's Supreme National Security Council Ali Shamkhani later on Sunday.

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