Russian Defense Minister Sergei Ivanov underlined his country's support Saturday for Afghanistan's Northern Alliance, which is locked in conflict with the ruling Taliban regime in Kabul.
"It is no secret to anyone that Russia, like certain other states, has for several years been providing moral support, and help of another nature, to the Northern Alliance, which has offered real resistance, and continues to do so, to the Taliban regime," he told public broadcaster RTR.
Ivanov made his comments following a meeting ordered Saturday by President Vladimir Putin of senior ministers responsible for defense and emergency situations, at the Black Sea resort of Sochi.
He revealed that 7,000 troops from Russia's 201st division based in Tajikistan had been placed on alert a week ago along the frontier with Afghanistan.
Around 11,000 Russian guards are also stationed along the 1,200-kilometer frontier.
Ivanov also confirmed that senior Russian general Anatoly Kvachin had met General Fahim in the capital of Tajikistan, Dushanbe, following Fahim's replacement of Ahmed Shah Masood as military leader of the Northern Alliance.
Masood was killed in a suicide attack by two men posing as journalists just two days before the September 11 suicide attacks on the World Trade Center and Pentagon
Putin's special envoy to central Asia was also expected to report to the Sochi meeting on his tour around the region.
Vladimir Rushaylo, who is secretary of the Russian Security Council, has been touring the former Soviet republics in central Asia since Monday to discuss their stance in the event of US retaliatory strikes on Afghanistan.
Tajikistan, Uzbekistan and Turkmenistan all have borders with Afghanistan, which is harboring the Saudi dissident Osama bin Laden, prime suspect for the terror attacks on the United States.
Moscow is strongly opposed to the US army using former Soviet bases in central Asia.
Putin is holidaying in the Black Sea resort of Sochi in southern Russia -- MOSCOW (AFP)
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