Russia paves way to remove Taliban from 'terror' list 

MOSCOW, Dec 17: Russia's parliament on Tuesday approved a bill that could pave the way for Moscow to lift its designation of the Taliban as a banned "terrorist" organisation.

Moscow has courted relations with the Taliban since they seized power in Afghanistan after the United States' chaotic withdrawal in 2021.

Officials have since been pushing to remove the Islamist group from Moscow's list of outlawed "terrorist" groups.
The State Duma passed a bill outlining a mechanism for groups to be legally removed from the list -- putting the necessary legal framework in place for an expected future decision. Russia's upper-house Federation Council will consider the bill on Friday, before it passes to President Vladimir Putin to sign into law.    —AFP