Russia removes Taliban from list of terrorist groups
Russia on Thursday lifted its ban on the Taliban, which it had tagged for more than two decades as a terrorist organisation.
The move paves the way for Moscow to normalise ties with the leadership of Afghanistan.
No country currently recognises the Taliban government, which seized power in August 2021 as US-led forces staged a chaotic withdrawal from Afghanistan after 20 years of war.
However, Russia has been gradually strengthening ties with the movement, which President Vladimir Putin said last year was now an ally in fighting terrorism.
Russia outlawed the Taliban as a terrorist movement in 2003.
According to the state media, the Supreme Court on Thursday lifted the ban with immediate effect.
Russia reportedly sees a need to work with the Taliban as it faces a major security threat from Islamist militant groups based in a string of countries from Afghanistan to the Middle East.
Recall that gunmen in March 2024, killed no fewer than 145 people at a concert hall outside Moscow in an attack claimed by Islamic State.
US officials said they had intelligence indicating it was the Afghan branch of the group, Islamic State Khorasan that was responsible.
Meanwhile, the Taliban said it was working to wipe out the presence of Islamic State in Afghanistan.
According to western diplomats, the movement’s path towards wider international recognition is stalled until it changes course on women’s rights.
The Taliban has closed high schools and universities to girls and women and placed restrictions on their movement without a male guardian.
It emphasized its respects for women’s rights in line with its strict interpretation of Islamic law.
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