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Kremlin says no plans in the works to remove Taliban from list of banned organizations

"There is nothing new on the matter. If there is any news, we will let you know," Russian Presidential Spokesman Dmitry Peskov noted

MOSCOW, July 23. /TASS/. Moscow has no plans yet to remove the Taliban (outlawed in Russia) from its list of banned organizations, Kremlin Spokesman Dmitry Peskov told reporters on Friday.

"There is nothing new on the matter. If there is any news, we will let you know," he said in response to a question.

"Indeed, the Taliban movement is a tangible and quite a powerful force active in Afghanistan," Peskov added.

Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov said earlier that resolving the situation in Afghanistan required an inclusive dialogue involving all of the country’s political and ethnic groups, including the Taliban, and Russia was focused on that goal.

The security situation in Afghanistan significantly deteriorated in April 2021 after US President Joe Biden had announced plans to end Washington’s operation in Afghanistan. As of July 13, more than 95% of US troops left the country.

Meanwhile, the Taliban is mounting offensives in several directions. It has taken control of dozens of districts and seized a number of key crossing points on the border with Tajikistan, Iran and Pakistan, according to Afghan media outlets. Meanwhile, Kabul is planning a large-scale counter-offensive against Taliban fighters.

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Foreign policy Afghanistan

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