KABUL, AFGHANISTAN – Russia has said it will support the Taliban authorities in their fight against the Islamic State’s regional affiliate, ISIS-Khorasan (ISIS-K).
According to Reuters, Zamir Kabulov, Russia’s special envoy for Afghanistan, said Moscow sees ISIS-K as a “common enemy” and will extend assistance through its specialized security structures.
“We appreciate the efforts of the Taliban in countering ISIS in Afghanistan,” Kabulov said in an interview with Russia’s RIA news agency.
The move comes after Russia last month formally removed the Taliban from its list of terrorist organizations, clearing the way for what officials in Moscow describe as full-scale cooperation.
Kabulov noted that Russia had offered to accredit an Afghan ambassador in Moscow and is now awaiting a response from the Taliban government.
He added that this gesture could mark the beginning of a new phase in bilateral relations, stating that removing the terror designation “finally removes all obstacles to full cooperation between our countries.”
Russia, which has suffered several ISIS-linked attacks in recent years, including a deadly mass shooting at a Moscow concert hall in March that killed 145 people, is increasingly focused on regional counter-terrorism alliances. U.S. intelligence has blamed ISIS-K for the Moscow attack.
The Taliban continues to claim it is eliminating ISIS-K’s presence in Afghanistan, though reports suggest the group remains a persistent threat.
The developments signal deepening ties between Russia and the Taliban, despite the regime remaining unrecognized by any government as Afghanistan’s legitimate authority.
