Russia Decides to Remove "Taliban" from the List of Terrorist Organizations

Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov announced that his country will remove the Taliban from the "list of terrorist organizations" in Russia, more than three years after their return to power in Afghanistan. The Russian news agency RIA Novosti reported Lavrov stating, "Kazakhstan recently made a decision, and we will also take it, aimed at removing the Taliban from the list of terrorist organizations," in Russia. In remarks made during Russian President Vladimir Putin's visit to Tashkent, Uzbekistan, Lavrov justified the decision by saying, "They represent the actual authority in Afghanistan."