Moscow moves to pull Taliban off terrorist list after Putin calls extremist group ‘a trusted ally’

Russia’s highest prosecutor has formally asked that the Taliban be removed from the nation’s terrorism list — just months after President Vladimir Putin called the Afghan extremist group “a trusted ally.”

The Russian Prosecutor General’s Office submitted the stunning request to the Russian Supreme Court Monday, with the court acknowledging it had received the appeal to “suspend the ban on the activities of the Taliban movement.”

If passed, contact with the group would no longer be punishable as a crime, which Russian law currently stipulates.

The Taliban is designated a terrorist organization by the US and several other countries — but maybe not by Russia soon after Moscow called them a “trusted ally.” AFP via Getty Images

Russia’s attitude toward the Taliban has been softening in recent years as its war in Ukraine has left the Kremlin increasingly isolated from the West, according to Politico.

The Taliban was formed in the 1990s after the Soviet Union ended its war in Afghanistan in 1989, and was first designated a terror group by Russia in 2003.

But since the Taliban took over control of Afghanistan following the US’ disastrous withdrawal in 2021 that left 13 service members dead, the terror group has seen no opposition to its leadership — forcing some nations to accept the group despite its extremist Islamic values.

Russia has been at the front of that charge, hosting numerous diplomatic delegations with the Taliban in recent years.

Russian President Vladimir Putin called the Taliban a “trusted ally” over the summer and has hosted several delegations. Getty Images

Last summer, Putin said the group could be a valuable tool in combating ISIS, while in December, he signed a law allowing suspensions of terrorist designations.

And just a week ago, Russia’s foreign and justice ministries sent the president an appeal asking to remove the Taliban’s designation.

Following the Prosecutor General’s Office request, the Supreme Court has scheduled a closed-door hearing to discuss the matter on April 17.

Kyrgyzstan and Kazakhstan, two Central Asian nations north of Afghanistan, have recently removed the Taliban from their terrorism lists.

It is still designated a terror group by the US, and is subject to sanctions by the United Nations.

With Post wires