Russia moves to acknowledge the Taliban authority in Afghanistan

The parliament on Tuesday approved a bill that would allow the Taliban to be taken off Moscow’s list of terrorist groups that are prohibited, bringing Russia one step closer to recognizing the Taliban authority in Afghanistan.

The law was adopted in the first of three compulsory readings by the Duma, the lower house of parliament, according to the Interfax news agency.

The Taliban regime, which took control in August 2021 after 20 years of conflict and a disastrous withdrawal by U.S.-led forces, is currently not recognized by any nation. However, Russia has been progressively strengthening its relationship with the movement, which President Vladimir Putin declared in July was now an ally in the battle against terrorism.

With the overthrow of Syrian President Bashar al-Assad last week, Russia lost a key partner in the Middle East, where Islamist extremist organizations located in a number of nations from Afghanistan pose a serious security threat to Moscow.

In March, Islamic State claimed responsibility for an attack at a concert hall outside of Moscow that left 145 people dead. According to U.S. officials, they have intelligence showing the Afghan offshoot of the organization, Islamic State Khorasan (ISIS-K), is to blame.

The Taliban claims to be striving to eradicate Islamic State from Afghanistan.

The movement’s progress toward broader international recognition is halted unless it alters its stance on women’s rights, according to Western diplomats. The Taliban has restricted the travel of women and girls without a male guardian and closed high schools and universities to them. In keeping with its rigorous interpretation of Islamic law, it claims to respect women’s rights.

Russia’s history in Afghanistan is complicated and tainted. Soviet forces invaded the nation in December 1979 in an attempt to support a communist regime, but they were sucked into a protracted conflict with American-armed mujahideen. By 1989, when Soviet leader Mikhail Gorbachev withdrew his forces, about 15,000 Soviet servicemen had been slain.