Russia: Working To Remove Taliban Off Terrorist List

Russia stated on Tuesday that it has serious matters to discuss with Afghanistan’s Taliban leaders and was trying to remove the Taliban from its list of proscribed terrorist organizations.

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

“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 continued.

Peskov did not elaborate on the pressing issues, but Russia suffered its bloodiest incident in 20 years last month, when gunmen stormed a concert hall outside Moscow, killing at least 144 people.

Islamic State terrorists claimed responsibility and US authorities said evidence indicated that the network’s Afghan branch, Islamic State Khorasan, was to blame. Russia has stated that it is looking into a Ukrainian link, something Kyiv and the US have strenuously denied.

The Taliban regained power in Afghanistan in 2021 with the withdrawal of US-led foreign forces, but they remain on Russia’s list of terrorist organizations.

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