Russia Moves To 'Normalise' Taliban Ties With New Law Easing Terror Bans

Russia's Parliament has passed a legislation enabling courts to lift bans on organisations labelled as terrorist by Moscow.

The new law, passed by parliament's lower house, the State Duma, sets the stage for Russia to improve relations with the Afghan Taliban and possibly the emerging Syrian leadership.

The law introduces a legal mechanism allowing organisations to be delisted from Russia's official banned list of outlawed "terrorist" organisations by order of a court if they cease terrorist-related activity.

Under the law, Russia's Prosecutor General could file a request with a court outlining that a banned group has "ceased" its activities "in support of terrorism".

A judge could then rule to remove the designation, NDTV reported.

The Taliban was in the first batch of groups to be added to the banned list, in February 2003, and Syria's HTS was added in 2020.

Following the Taliban's takeover in August 2021, amidst a turbulent US-led withdrawal from Afghanistan, the Kremlin has sought to build ties with the group.

Russian President Vladimir Putin remarked in July that the Taliban was now an ally in fighting terrorism.

Still, delisting the Taliban from Russia's terrorist registry would not equate to recognising its government, or what it calls "Islamic Emirate of Afghanistan," a step no nation in the world has taken yet.

In Moscow, there are also calls for the removal of Hayat Tahrir al-Sham (HTS), the group behind the recent overthrow of Syrian President Bashar al-Assad, from Russia's list of banned terrorist organisations.

The leader of Russia's Muslim region of Chechnya, Ramzan Kadyrov, who is considered a close ally of President Putin, on Monday said Moscow needed ties to the new Syrian authorities to ensure stability and prevent a humanitarian catastrophe.

Russia sees Islamist militant groups spanning Afghanistan to the Middle East as major security threats, especially following the loss of a key ally with Assad's downfall.

Russia has leveraged these bases to counter US dominance and assert itself as a global power with vital stakes in the region.

While Assad's fall endangers Moscow's military hold in the Mediterranean, it does not indicate an impending retreat.

The Kremlin, this week, said that Moscow was in contact with the new leadership in Syria, where it hopes to retain the use of an airfield and a naval base.

Russia’s history in Afghanistan is marked by a fraught military campaign.

Soviet forces invaded in December 1979 to prop up a Communist regime but faced fierce resistance from US-backed mujahideen fighters.

By 1989, Soviet leader Mikhail Gorbachev ordered a withdrawal after losing around 15,000 troops.

In March, a deadly attack at a concert hall near Moscow claimed 145 lives, with responsibility attributed to Islamic State.

US intelligence linked the assault to ISIS-K, the Afghan faction of the group.

However, now the Taliban says it is working to wipe out the presence of Islamic State in Afghanistan.

However, western diplomats say the Taliban's path towards wider international recognition is stalled until it changes course on women's rights.

The Taliban has closed high schools and universities to girls and women and placed restrictions on their movement without a male guardian.

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