Russia Paves Path to Delist Taliban from Terror Designation

Russia's parliament has approved a bill that could delist the Taliban from its terrorist groups register. This controversial move requires further approval from the upper house and President Vladimir Putin. The decision comes amid Russia's strategic engagement with the Taliban to stabilize Afghanistan.

On Tuesday, Russia's lower house of parliament approved a bill that could allow Moscow to remove the Taliban from its list of designated terrorist groups. This change in designation awaits approval from the upper house and a signature from President Vladimir Putin to become law.

Notably, the Taliban were included on Russia's terrorist organizations list in 2003, with any engagement punishable by law. Despite this, Moscow has hosted forums with Taliban delegations, citing the necessity of engagement for Afghanistan's stability as a justification for this apparent contradiction.

Historically, the Soviet Union's involvement in Afghanistan dates back to a costly 10-year war ending in 1989. Now, with the Taliban entrenched in power for three years, Russia's diplomatic strategy has evolved, positioning itself as a mediator amid global divisions on addressing the Taliban-led Afghan regime.

(With inputs from agencies.)