Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov on Friday said that Daesh militants are building up their forces in northern Afghanistan as US and NATO troops are leaving the country, calling it a worry for Moscow.

Quoted in a report by Reuters, Lavrov said Daesh was actively gaining territory in Afghanistan amid the withdrawal and what he described as the “irresponsible” stance taken by officials in Kabul.

“It is also important to pay attention to Afghanistan, where ISIS (Islamic State) is actively concentrating its forces. And they do it using the unforgivably prolonged process of preparing real peace negotiations. And those in the ruling structures of Afghanistan who are trying in every possible way to delay this process even more, of course, should think about the consequences of these actions for their homeland,” Lavrov said as quoted by Reuters.

Lavrov said that Daesh is taking the advantage of the current situation to develop its territories in Afghanistan.

“This worries us because in the conditions of the irresponsible behavior of some officials in Kabul, in the conditions of the rash withdrawal of NATO troops from Afghanistan, which has left not a single possibility to report on the completion of at least some tasks. Under these conditions, ISIS is actively developing territories, primarily in the north of Afghanistan, right on the border with countries that are our allies,” he said as quoted by Reuters.

This comes amidst a sharp rise in Taliban attacks in northern Afghanistan where they have captured dozens of districts.