MOSCOW, September 6. /TASS/. The International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) is in contact with the Taliban (outlawed in Russia) and is not facing any restrictions on its work after the militant group’s takeover of Kabul and rise to power. More than 1,800 ICRC workers remain in Afghanistan, said Ikhtiyar Aslanov, who heads the regional ICRC delegation in an interview with TASS.

"We have been working [with the Taliban] for a long time and have had contacts with local commanders and the top leadership of the Taliban, we are carrying on this work. There is an understanding between us and the Taliban about access to places where people need help. We are not experiencing any restrictions onour work today. The only thing is perhaps because of security, wherever hostilities break out, it is due to this that we can’t get access to a certain place," he emphasized.

According to him, more than 1,800 mission workers continue to provide aid to all people that require it in the country. "We have access across the country now. And our humanitarian activity has expanded," Aslanov stressed. "Many Afghans have lost their homes and are looking for a safe place inside the country, many need medical help. Our colleagues continue to work along these lines, providing medicine and medical equipment to local hospitals in remote places."

Developments are now rapidly unfolding in Afghanistan, the ICRC delegation head added. "When working under these conditions, you always need to keep in mind that there are dangerous instances. Our colleagues are working with all sides to guarantee the safety of our employees," he explained.

The Taliban launched a large-scale operation to regain control over Afghanistan after the United States announced its troop pullout from the country. On August 15, Afghan President Ashraf Ghani stepped down and fled the country, and the Taliban forces swept into Kabul, without encountering any resistance.