Russia on way to recognise Taliban govt

Russia moved a step closer to recognizing the Taliban government of Afghanistan on Tuesday when lawmakers voted to pave the way to remove the Taliban from Moscow's list of banned terrorist organizations, Interfax news agency said.

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Parliament's lower house, the Duma, approved the step in the first of three required readings.

No country currently recognizes the Taliban government which seized power in August 2021 as U.S.-led forces staged a chaotic withdrawal after 20 years of war.

But Russia has been gradually building ties with the movement, which President Vladimir Putin said in July was now an ally in fighting terrorism.

Moscow sees a major security threat from Islamist militant groups based in a string of countries from Afghanistan to the Middle East, where Russia lost a major ally this week with the toppling of Syrian President Bashar al-Assad.