Almost a year after Russian President Vladimir Putin referred to Afghanistan’s Taliban as an “ally” against terrorism, Moscow has removed a two-decade-long ban on the group. This move seeks to strengthen relations with Kabul to combat a shared adversary — the Islamic State (ISIS).

The decision was not unexpected, as Putin has said he is increasing collaboration with the Taliban against terrorism, said John Herbst, senior director of the Eurasia Center at the Atlantic Council. Those remarks were particularly desired at ISIS, which took credit for the deadly March 2024 Crocus City Hall terrorist episode, he stated.

The ruling will also allow for official recognition of the Taliban government, which has been a pariah since assuming power in Afghanistan almost four years ago, added Faizullah Jalal, a human rights activist.

Though no state has so far recognized the Taliban administration, whose human rights abuses have been repeatedly denounced worldwide, the Foreign Ministry in Kabul stated on Wednesday that Moscow had decided to receive an ambassador-level diplomat in Russia.

Russia’s slow and guarded approach to reconciliation with the Taliban, which Moscow had banned as a terrorist organization in 2003, reflects that both flanks believe there are gains to be made from warming up ties. For Russia, it’s imperative to safeguard in the face of terrorism locally and across the broader Central Asia area. The Taliban repays efforts to secure international legality and conceivably introduces foreign investment to support stabilizing the economy.

In its early efforts as part of this, Russia’s Security Council Secretary Sergei Shoigu visited Kabul last November and held talks with scores of senior government officeholders. Russia is also one of the rare nations, together with China, to have rolled out the welcome mat for the Taliban diplomats in its capital city.

“Moscow intends to establish mutually advantageous relations with Afghanistan in all spheres, including the struggle against drugs and terrorism,”

the Moscow Foreign Ministry said in a press release following the bench ruling in favor of the Taliban.

Several terrorist groups are based in Afghanistan, but the group that is of the most splendid danger at home and abroad is the Islamic State Khorasan, a local affiliate of the broader ISIS network, a Congressional Research Service paper in Washington said. ISIS-K claimed responsibility last year for the deadliest episode in Russia in over two decades, which claimed the lives of at least 137 individuals.

The organization was established in 2014 or 2015, primarily through defectors from the Afghan Taliban and Tehrik-e Taliban, who are committed to toppling Pakistan’s administration.

The power of ISIS-K was calculated between 2,000 to 5,000 fighters as of April 2024. According to the US National Counterterrorism Center, this outfit is one of Islamic State’s most dangerous branches, with its fighters killing or injuring thousands in Afghanistan and Pakistan.

Betttered relations with Kabul were far from certain for Russia, particularly with the shared relationship between the two capitals being so complex. The Soviet Union attacked Afghanistan during 1979 and engaged in a ten-year war there with the Mujahedeen that involved some of today’s leadership among the Taliban.

While commerce rose 18 per cent during the first eight months of 2024 compared to the similar time last year, it remained low at around $227 million, Afghanistan’s Ministry of Industry and Commerce reports.

Normalizing ties would boost economic cooperation between the two nations. Russia’s Foreign Affairs Ministry late last year indicated it’s seeking to finalize agreements in the energy and agriculture domain with the Taliban, the Tass news agency reported, and by the end of last year Afghanistan had become the largest Russian flour buyer.

Russia’s decision to remove the Taliban’s terrorism status may influence other nations in the region to do the same. Some of Moscow’s closest friends in Central Asia or broader Asia are likely to do the same if the Taliban are labeled a terrorist there, while other nations, particularly the West, might oppose it.

Though both the Taliban and Islamic State support rigorous Sharia law, they’re also adversaries, and frequently have conflicted. The Taliban see ISIS-K as their biggest threat to their reign. Though they’ve ramped up their efforts against the group, thus far they’ve been unable to break it.