Why russia decided to remove the Taliban from its list of terrorists
Zamir Kabulov, special representative of the president of the russian federation for Afghanistan, announced the decision to remove the Afghan Islamist movement Taliban from the list of terrorist organizations. According to him, the decision has been “approved at the highest level” and will be “announced soon.”
▫️ russian authorities first mentioned this step in May, when president putin emphasized the need to “build relations with the Taliban,” acknowledging them as the de facto rulers of Afghanistan.
▫️ The Taliban are infamous for their repression, violations of women’s rights, executions, and their past support of al-Qaeda leader Osama bin Laden, who was the architect of the September 11, 2001, terrorist attacks in the United States.
▫️ Since the Taliban’s takeover of Afghanistan, russia has invited these international pariahs to economic forums and even signed agreements with them. Moscow aims to expand its influence in Central Asia, positioning itself as a “guarantor of security and stability” in the region following the U.S. troop withdrawal from Afghanistan.
▫️ Beyond security interests, russian officials see Afghanistan as a potential transit hub for russian gas exports to India and other goods to Pakistani ports, which could serve as a way to bypass anti-russian sanctions.
