Moscow denies reports its troops in Afghanistan
October 9, 2001
MOSCOW (Reuters) - A leading Russian defense analyst said Tuesday
Russian
troops were already on the ground in Afghanistan, but Defense Minister
Sergei
Ivanov reiterated that no Russian troops would fight in the "war on
terrorism."
Independent defense analyst Pavel Felgenhauer said Russian technicians,
pilots and military advisers had been helping the anti-Taliban Northern
Alliance in Afghanistan for several years, but that there had been a
large
influx of them recently.
Felgenhauer, speaking to Reuters, quoted informed sources as saying
Russian
soldiers had helped move tanks and other heavy equipment over the
Pyandzh
River from Tajikistan into Afghanistan. He estimated there were between
1,000
and 2,000 Russian troops in the country.
Ivanov, in the latest Russian denial of such reports, told RIA Novosti
news
agency Tuesday: "The participation of Russian servicemen in any
operation in
Afghanistan is not possible."
He was not responding directly to Felgenhauer's comments.
Russian President Vladimir Putin, setting out policy on Sept. 24, said
Moscow
would increase arms supplies to the Northern Alliance to support
Washington's
operations against "terrorist" bases in Afghanistan. Putin said Russian
troops would be used only in search-and-rescue operations.
The United States and Britain launched missile attacks on Afghanistan
Sunday
after the Taliban refused to hand over Osama bin Laden, prime suspect in
last
month's airliner attacks on the United States which left some 5,600 dead
or
missing.
Felgenhauer said that 20 miles north of the capital Kabul there were
around
100-200 Russian troops "who call themselves military advisers and are
manning
the heavy equipment for the Northern Alliance."
He said it was a "secret operation" in violation of the Russian
constitution,
but was necessary as "the Northern Alliance simply do not have people
who can
man this type of equipment."
Reuters reporters in Afghanistan, specifically asked about the reports
of
Russian deployments, have said they have not seen any Russian troops in
the
country.
Serbian News Network - SNN
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http://www.antic.org/
