Russia suspended the ban on Taliban on Thursday, which had been classified for more than two decades as a terrorist organization, as a measure for Moscow to normalize ties with Afghanistan’s leadership.
No country currently recognizes the Taliban government, which took power in August 2021, when US -led forces took a withdrawal from Afghanistan after 20 years of war.
But Russia has gradually been building relations with the movement, which President Vladimir Putin said last year is now an ally in the fight against terrorism.
The Taliban was declared illegal by Russia as a terrorist movement in 2003. Russian state media reported that the country’s supreme cut suspended the ban on Thursday with immediate effect.
“Russia aims to build mutually beneficial ties with Afghanistan in all areas, including the fight against drugs and terrorism,” Russia’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs said in a statement.
The ministry added that Moscow was grateful to Afghanistan for military operations against the local branch of the Islamic State.
Moscow also aims to strengthen commercial, business and investment ties with Cabul, leveraging Afghanistan’s strategic position for future energy and infrastructure projects, the ministry statement said.
In March 2024, gunmen killed 145 people outside Moscow in an attack claimed by the Islamic State. American authorities said they had intelligence information indicating that the group’s Afghan branch, the Islamic State Khorasan (ISIS-K), was responsible.
The Taliban claims to be working to eliminate the presence of the Islamic State in Afghanistan.
Western diplomats claim that Taliban’s path to broader international recognition is blocked until he changes to women’s rights.
The Taliban closed high schools and universities for girls and women and imposed restrictions on their movement without a man tutor. The Taliban claims to respect women’s rights, in line with their rigorous interpretation of Islamic law.
This content was originally published in Russia removes Taliban from the list of terrorist organizations after two decades on the CNN Brazil website.
Source: CNN Brasil
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