MOSCOW, August 30. /TASS/. The question about changing the status of the Taliban movement in Russia (outlawed in Russia) is premature. It remains to be seen what their first steps will look like and what kind of leadership they form, Russian presidential spokesman Dmitry Peskov told the media on Monday.
"Raising this question is premature for now. You know that President Vladimir Putin and the Foreign Ministry have said already that we tend to wait and see the first steps the country's yet-to-be formed leadership will take. Let us remember that the leadership's structure has not been finalized yet," Peskov said in reply to a question.
"At the moment a complicated phase is underway involving completing the evacuation of foreigners from there (Afghanistan - TASS), and of the Afghans who have decided to leave the country. A very dangerous process is afoot. It is connected with the presence of terrorist groups and elements in the territory of Afghanistan. It is very important to see what the Taliban's first steps in governing Afghanistan will be like. The conclusions can be formed after this."
The situation in Afghanistan aggravated after US President Joe Biden in April declared his decision to curtail the operation in the country. The Taliban movement (outlawed in Russia) promptly launched a large-scale offensive operation to enter Kabul on August 15 without encountering any resistance and had the city under control within a matter of hours. Afghanistan’s President Ashraf Ghani left the country. Many countries have evacuated their citizens and embassy staffers. The Taliban established control of the country's territory and ordered all foreign forces to leave by August 31. Otherwise, their further presence will be considered as further occupation, it warned.