MOSCOW, November 8. /TASS/. Russia is satisfied with the level of security of its embassy in Afghanistan guaranteed by the Taliban (outlawed in Russia), Russian Ambassador to that country Dmitry Zhirnov said on Monday.
"We are satisfied with the degree of security assistance offered by the Taliban units," he said in an interview with the Rossiya-24 television channel.
He said he met with a Taliban representative on August 16 and received "all necessary assurances." "We received a one-word, military-style clear answer - ‘Yes’ - to all our questions without exception. Then, former interior ministry servicemen who guarded the embassy and who simply fled were replaced by the Taliban security men. There have been no negative incidents since then," Zhirnov noted.
According to the Russian diplomat, following the fall of the Ghani regime, Kabul was gripped by armed looters. "When armed Taliban units entered the city in the evening on August 15, it stopped and we were deafened by the silence. Before the Taliban, we got used to hearing between three to five blasts every day, let alone countless shootouts," he said.
After the Biden administration announced the end of its US military operation in Afghanistan and the launch of its troop pullout, the Taliban embarked on an offensive against Afghan government forces. On August 15, Taliban fighters swept into Kabul without encountering any resistance and gained full control over the Afghan capital within a few hours. Afghanistan’s President Ashraf Ghani said he had stepped down to prevent any bloodshed and subsequently fled the country. On September 6, the Taliban said they had taken control of the entire country and announced a new interim government the following day. However, this government has not been officially recognized by any of the world nations.