Russia seeks to remove Taliban and HTS from terrorist list - ISW
Russian President Vladimir Putin (photo: Getty Images)
The Russian authorities continue to establish a legal framework to remove the Taliban and HTS from the list of banned terrorist organizations. The decisions serve several purposes, reports the American Institute for the Study of War (ISW).
Analysts note that on December 28, Russian President Vladimir Putin signed a law allowing the Russian government to remove organizations from the country's list of terrorist organizations.
At the same time, Russian war correspondents reported that the decree would facilitate closer ties between Russia and the Taliban. Meanwhile, one blogger claimed that the Taliban has demonstrated its intent to bring peace to Afghanistan, potentially opening new trade routes for Russia.
Previously, ISW experts had reported that the Russian authorities were preparing legal mechanisms to delist the Taliban. Putin's decree is likely one of the final steps in this process.
The decree also establishes a legal framework for the Russian government to remove other organizations, including Hayat Tahrir al-Sham (HTS), from the list of banned terrorist organizations. Analysts clarified that this is part of Russia's efforts to foster positive relations with the interim government led by HTS in Syria and to secure guarantees for the continued operation of Russian military bases in the country.
