Moscow has closed a transport corridor which allowed NATO to deliver military supplies to war-torn Afghanistan through the Russian territory.
On Monday, Russian Prime Minister Dmitry Medvedev signed a document which revoked a previous decree on NATO cargo transit to Afghanistan, including the delivery of military hardware and equipment via rail, motor vehicles or by air through Russia.
The Russian Foreign Ministry was also tasked with informing all the relevant countries of the Kremlin’s new decision.
The announcement comes after the expiry of a 2008 decree signed by Moscow to permit the transit of military cargo to the Asian state through its soil and airspace.
Russia had signed the decree after the UN Security Council adopted a resolution in 2001 on the establishment of the International Security Assistance Force (ISAF) in Afghanistan, calling on all countries to cooperate with ISAF in its mission.
A US soldier walks on the tarmac to board a US helicopter Chinook at the Bagram Airport, Afghanistan, on January 21, 2012. (© AFP)
NATO, the US-led combat mission in Afghanistan, ended its operation on December 31, 2014. However, thousands of foreign forces have remained in the country in what Washington calls a support mission.
The Western military alliance says the forces will focus mainly on counterterrorism operations and training Afghan soldiers and policemen.
The US and its allies invaded Afghanistan in 2001 as part of Washington’s so-called war on terror. The offensive removed the Taliban from power, but insecurity still lingers across the war-torn country despite the presence of thousands of US-led troops.
