Russian spokesperson elucidates minister's 'slip of tongue' on Daesh movement

MOSCOW: Russian Foreign Ministry’s spokesperson Maria Zhakharova clarified on Friday the ‘slip of tongue’ by Russian Deputy Minister of Internal Affairs, Igor Zubov, in his remarks regarding alleged movement of Daesh terrorists.

Speaking at a weekly press briefing in Moscow, the Russian Foreign Ministry’s spokesperson firmly rebutted the statement of the Russian Deputy Minister of Internal Affairs in which he said, “unidentified helicopters transported a large number of Daesh terrorists from ‘Pakistan’ to the Tajikistan border, close to Russia’s southern borders.”

The spokesperson elucidated the use of term ‘Pakistan’ by the minister, was a slip of tongue and he meant to say Afghanistan instead of Pakistan.

“We saw those statements, those quotes,” Zakharova clarified. “I think they’re just a slip of the tongue because the [Daesh] combatants are being carried to the borderline between Afghanistan and Tajikistan from the Afghan territory, and we cooperate closely with Pakistan in fighting terrorism as well as on the Afghan agenda, and we share common concerns regarding [Daesh] gaining momentum on the territory there and the extent and full expansion of that terrorist group.”

Moreover, she asserted “Moscow is closely cooperating with Islamabad in the fight against terrorism and advancing the peace process in Afghanistan.”

Pakistan and Russia both have common concerns on the escalating momentum of Daesh militants and their expansion on Afghanistan-Tajikistan border, Maria Zhakharova said.

Hailing the “great contribution” made by all the countries bordering Afghanistan, she added that Russia is a reliable partner of those countries in their every effort to ensure border security.