Russia Kickstarts Process to Remove Taliban from Terror List

By Al Mayadeen English

Russia hopes the shift would pave the way for more joint collaboration between the government and the Taliban, particularly in the fight against regional terrorism.

Russia plans to remove the Taliban from the list of terrorist organizations, Zamir Kabulov, the presidential envoy to Afghanistan, said on Friday.

Aleksandr Bortnikov, the head of the Federal Security Service (FSB), which is responsible for combatting terrorism, also confirmed the shift.

Although Russia has not formally recognized the Taliban as the governing force in Kabul, it was among the first countries to establish diplomatic ties with its government after the Western-backed Afghan government was forced to flee the country, ending the two-decade-long Western occupation of the country. 

Kabulov told reporters that "A fundamental decision on this issue has already been made by the Russian leadership," adding that it would take extensive work from a team of lawyers, parliament, and other governmental agencies, which would allow the decision to be finalized in the nearest future. 

Bortinkov also announced that Moscow is finalizing the procedure to remove the group from the terror list, noting that the move could clear the way for more "pragmatic cooperation", including fighting organized crime and ISIS-K, the spawn of ISIS in the region. 

Putin affirms Taliban as allies against terrorism

The Taliban has been on Russia's blacklist since 2003, when Moscow accused it of being responsible for the hijacking of a Russian civilian plane in 1995 following its links to the extremist insurrection in the Northern Caucasus.

Moscow's stance towards the group started to shift after the insurgents were mostly defeated domestically, and was later reinforced by the emergence of ISIS in the mid-2010s.

In July, President Vladimir Putin affirmed the Taliban's role as allies in the fight against terrorism. Putin acknowledged their control over Afghanistan and stressed the necessity of maintaining relations with the country's real political forces.

"The Taliban movement have made certain commitments … but in general we have to assume that the Taliban control the power in the country. And in that sense, the Taliban are certainly allies for us in the fight against terrorism," Putin stated, noting ongoing signals of cooperation from the Taliban on counterterrorism efforts.