Russia’s top court lifts terror group designation on Afghanistan’s Taliban

Over in Russia, the Supreme Court has officially removed Afghanistan's ruling Taliban from its list of banned terrorist organizations, a designation that had been in place since 2003.

While the Taliban remains unrecognized as Afghanistan's official government, the ruling on Thursday, local time, reflects Moscow's intent to normalize ties.

It also reflects efforts to collaborate with the Taliban to counter threats posed by Islamic State Khorasan, which has been responsible for deadly attacks in both Russia and Afghanistan.

Russia's attitude toward the Taliban has changed over the past two decades.

It was the first country to open a business representative office in Kabul after the Taliban's takeover, seeing the group as a strategic partner to advance its political and economic interests.