Russia Deepens Its Taliban Ties With Eye on Shared Adversary ISIS

A Taliban security guard inspects a vehicle at the entrance of the Embassy of Russia in Kabul, on April 17. Photographer: Wakil Kohsar/AFP/Getty Images Photo by WAKIL KOHSAR /Photographer: Wakil Kohsar/AFP/G

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(Bloomberg) — Nearly a year after Russian President Vladimir Putin called Afghanistan’s Taliban an “ally” in countering terrorism, Moscow lifted a two-decade-old ban on the group, aiming to bolster ties with Kabul to crush a joint enemy — the Islamic State.

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The move was “no surprise,” given Putin has spoken of growing cooperation with the Taliban on terrorism, said John Herbst, senior director of the Atlantic Council’s Eurasia Center. Those comments were “specifically directed against ISIS,” which claimed responsibility for the bloody Crocus City Hall terrorist attack in March 2024, he said.

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The decision will also “open the door for official recognition of the Taliban government,” which has remained a pariah since taking power in Afghanistan nearly four years ago, said Faizullah Jalal, an independent Afghan political analyst and human rights activist. 

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While no country has recognized the Taliban’s government, which has been condemned internationally for repeated human rights violations, the Foreign Ministry in Kabul on Wednesday said Russia had agreed to accept an ambassador-level diplomat in Moscow.

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Russia’s cautious and slow-moving rapprochement with the Taliban, which Moscow had outlawed as a terrorist group in 2003, underscores that both sides see benefits in improving relations. For Russia, it’s crucial to protect against the threat of terrorism at home and in the wider Central Asia region. For the Taliban, it rewards efforts to gain international legitimacy and potentially brings foreign investment to help prop up the economy. 

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As part of those early endeavors, Sergei Shoigu, the secretary of Russia’s Security Council, made a rare visit to Kabul in November and spoke with numerous high-ranking officials. Russia also is one of only a few countries, including China, to have welcomed Taliban diplomats to its capital. 

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“Russia aims to build mutually beneficial ties with Afghanistan in all areas, including the fight against drugs and terrorism,” the Foreign Ministry in Moscow said in a statement after the court decision legalizing the Taliban.

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The Kremlin didn’t respond to a request for comment about whether it intends to formally recognize the Taliban government.

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A number of terrorist organizations operate out of Afghanistan, but the one that poses “greatest threat” at home and abroad is the Islamic State Khorasan, a regional offshoot of the larger ISIS group, according to a research paper from the Congressional Research Service in Washington. ISIS-K took credit last year for the worst attack in Russia in more than two decades, which killed at least 137 people.

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The group was formed in 2014 or 2015, largely by defectors from the Afghan Taliban and Tehrik-e Taliban, which is dedicated to overthrowing Pakistan’s government. 

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ISIS-K’s strength was estimated at between 2,000 and 5,000 members as of April 2024. The US National Counterterrorism Center described the insurgent group as one of Islamic State’s “most lethal branches,” saying its militants have also killed or injured thousands of people in Afghanistan and Pakistan.