RUSSIA TO REMOVE TALIBAN FROM ITS LIST OF TERRORIST ORGANISATIONS

Tue 02 April 2024:

Russia said on Tuesday it had important matters to discuss with Afghanistan’s Taliban leaders and was working to remove the Taliban from its list of banned terrorist organisations.

“This is a country that is next to us, and one way or another we communicate with them,” Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov told reporters.

“We need to resolve pressing issues, this also requires dialogue, so in this regard we communicate with them like practically everyone else – they are the de facto authority in Afghanistan.”

Peskov did not elaborate on the “pressing issues”, but Russia suffered its deadliest attack for 20 years last month when gunmen stormed a concert hall outside Moscow, killing at least 144 people.

Islamic State militants claimed responsbility and U.S. officials said they had intelligence that it was the network’s Afghan branch, Islamic State Khorasan, that was responsible. Russia has said it is also investigating a Ukrainian link, something Kyiv and the United States have strongly rejected.

The Taliban returned to power in Afghanistan in 2021 after the withdrawal of U.S.-led foreign forces, but have remained until now on a list of organisations that Russia designates as terrorist.

Taliban rebuffs Russia’s claim of terrorists in Afghanistan

Last month, Taliban spokesman Zabihullah Mujahid said in response to the Russian Defense Minister’s remarks that Afghanistan is a threat to the countries of Central Asia, that since the Taliban’s takeover, the territory of Afghanistan has been of no threat to any Central Asian country, and such statements and opinions are not in the interests of any party.

In a meeting with senior military officials, Russian Defense Minister Sergei Shoigu called Afghanistan the “biggest threat” to the countries of Central Asia and said that the situation in Central Asia is still complicated. He said in the last year, the number of Daesh fighters in Afghanistan has increased by 15 percent.

“No foreign group is either active or allowed to operate in Afghanistan; such a comment is not in the interest of any country; we want to be realistic and accurate about this matter,” said Taliban spokesman Zabihullah Mujahid.

SOURCE: INDEPENDENT PRESS AND NEWS AGENCIES

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