KABUL - The US Central Command chief has accused Russia of jockeying for influence in Afghanistan, where international reconciliation efforts are underway
In an interview with Voice of America, Gen. Joseph Votel also hit out at Iran for playing both sides of the conflict in Afghanistan.
He said: "I think what they [Russia] are trying to do is they are pursuing a strategy which is to compete with us by trying to exert their influence wherever they can."
Russia was using disinformation to create the narrative they it wanted, not just in Afghanistan, but in Iraq and Syria as well, blaming the US for aiding ISIS, he added.
Votel spurned as ridiculous the notion that the United States was somehow promoting the Islamic State, also known by its Arabic acronym of Daesh.
The Iranians had also "hedged their bets" in Afghanistan by seeking relationships both with the Afghan government and its armed opponents, the top US military commander said.
"They [Iranian leaders] don't have any love for us here, but I do think Iran shares concerns along their eastern border, the western part of Afghanistan...” (Pajhwok)