Russia Plans to Remove Taliban from Terrorist List, Head of Political Office: We Are Fighting for Liberation

Head of the Political Office of the Taliban Suhail Shaheen. (Wikimedia Commons/FARS/Saeed Sajjadi)

JAKARTA - Head of the Taliban Political Office in Qatar, Suhail Shaheen, said Kabul appreciated Russia's proposal to remove the Taliban from the country's terrorist list.

"We welcome the proposal by the Russian Ministry of Foreign Affairs and the Ministry of Justice to the Kremlin to remove the status of a terrorist organization from the IEA," said Shaheen, reported by Al Mayadeen from Sputnik, May 28.

As previously reported, Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov said that Russia's plan to remove the Taliban from the terrorist list was the same as that taken by Kazakhstan which recently removed the Taliban from its list of banned organizations.

"We are taking the same approach as Kazakhstan and removing the Taliban from our list of terrorist groups," RIA Novosti quoted Foreign Minister Lavrov as saying.

"They are the powers that be. We are not indifferent to Afghanistan. And most importantly, our allies in Central Asia are also not indifferent," said Foreign Minister Lavrov.

It said that while the move may strengthen diplomatic ties between Afghanistan and Russia, it does not constitute formal recognition of the Taliban government.

"The Taliban appreciate Lavrov's statement and this also shows that Russia is following realpolitik and prioritizing its national interests," said Shaheen.

He further expressed the Taliban's desire to foster positive relations with the international community.

"We were never terrorists but fought for the liberation of our country from foreign occupation. This is our legitimate right. We want positive relations with neighboring countries, the region and the world. We are in a new era after Afghanistan's independence, ready to engage in various field," said Shaheen.

It is known that the Taliban has been designated as a terrorist organization in Russia since 2003.

The Taliban launched a massive operation to take control of Afghanistan after the United States announced the withdrawal of its troops in August 2021. As Afghan President Ashraf Ghani fled abroad, the Taliban entered Kabul without resistance.