Moscow/Kabul, April 17 -- Russia today officially lifted its two-decade old ban on the Afghan Taliban, removing the group from its list of designated terrorist organisations.
The move, confirmed by Russian state media on Thursday, marks a significant shift in Moscow's diplomatic posture toward the de facto rulers of Afghanistan.
Russia's Supreme Court on Thursday removed the Taliban's designation as a "terrorist organisation", a symbolic gesture aimed at building friendly ties with Afghanistan's rulers.
The Islamist group seized power in Afghanistan in August 2021, after American forces pulled out.
The Russian Supreme Court's decision to lift the ban, imposed in 2003, takes effect immediately and paves the way for broader engagement be...