KABUL, Afghanistan — Extremists hailing from nearly a dozen countries are fighting in Afghanistan, according to Afghan President Ashraf Ghani.
"Insurgents from at least 10 countries are fighting Afghan security forces and it is Afghanistan alone making all the sacrifices,” Ghani told a gathering of women activists, politicians and diplomats in Kabul on Tuesday.
He also called for more international help to defeating the militant threat.
“There should be enhanced regional cooperation to address regional challenges,” Ghani added.
Related: Afghan Taliban Contends With ISIS Encroachment
Ghani’s comments come as Afghanistan's decade-and-a-half-long insurgency gains ground and militants affiliated with ISIS are establishing bases and recruiting fighters.
Fighters from Pakistan, various Central Asian republics, the Russian republic of Chechnya, and the Turkic Muslim community in western China have all established bases in northern Afghanistan after being pushed out of Pakistan, Interior Minister Noorul Haq Ulomi has told NBC News.
