Russia paves way to remove Taliban from 'terror' list

MOSCOW: Russia's parliament on Tuesday approved a bill that could pave the way for Moscow to lift its designation of the Taliban as a banned "terrorist" organisation.

Moscow has courted relations with the Taliban since they seized power in Afghanistan after the United States' chaotic withdrawal in 2021.

Officials have since been pushing to remove the Islamist group from Moscow's list of outlawed "terrorist" groups.

The State Duma passed a bill outlining a mechanism for groups to be legally removed from the list -- putting the necessary legal framework in place for an expected future decision.

Russia's upper-house Federation Council will consider the bill on Friday, before it passes to President Vladimir Putin to sign into law.

In a visit to Kabul last month, top Russian security officials told their Afghan counterparts that Moscow would soon remove the Taliban from the list of banned organisations.

Under the proposed system, Russia's Prosecutor General would file a request with a Russian court outlining that a group has "ceased" its activities "in support of terrorism". A judge could then rule to remove the designation.

The expected move would not amount to a formal recognition of the Taliban government and what it calls the "Islamic Emirate of Afghanistan" -- a step no country has yet taken.

Putin called the Taliban "allies in the fight against terrorism" earlier this year, while Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov has called for the West to remove sanctions on Afghanistan and take "responsibility" for reconstruction efforts in the country.

Russia's allies in Central Asia -- Afghanistan's neighbours -- are also pledging better relations with the Taliban. Kazakhstan removed the Taliban from its own list of banned "terrorist" groups at the end of 2023.

The move could boost diplomacy between Moscow and Afghanistan, with both countries facing isolation in the West.

After seizing power in 2021, the Taliban have enforced an extreme form of Islamic law that effectively bans women from public life.