Understanding US and Russian policies towards Taliban

Russia has become the first country to recognize Taliban government in Afghanistan. It is on record that the United States and Russia have had different policies toward Taliban due to their distinct strategic interests, historical experiences, and regional alliances. Here’s a breakdown of some of the key reasons behind this divergence:

The United States has fought Taliban directly for over two decades after 9/11, viewing them as terrorist allies of al-Qaeda. This includes the US led NATO invasion of Afghanistan in 2001 to topple the Taliban regime.

Interestingly, Russia has not fought Taliban directly but has a history of conflicts in Afghanistan during the Soviet invasion (1979–1989), where the US and others supported the Mujahideen, some of these are now termed Taliban).

Russia sees Taliban as part of the post-Soviet regional security dynamic, not necessarily as a direct enemy.

Most interesting is the US perspective because it considers Taliban a threats to US homeland and allies. The history shows that Afghans/ Taliban never attacked the United States. It is also said that Osama bin Laden was a Saudi, which supported Mujahideen in averting the USSR attack on Afghanistan to get access to the warm waters.

The US, which never wanted to leave Afghanistan believes that Taliban rule could once again turn the country into a safe haven for global jihadis like al-Qaeda or ISIS-K. Some analysts openly say that be it al-Qaeda or ISIS-K, these are ‘B’ teams of CIA.

The prime focus of Russia is more on Central Asian stability and drug trafficking from Afghanistan. Russia fears spillover of extremism into its southern borders but engages pragmatically with Taliban to keep its influence in the region.

Both the US and Russia are keen in engaging with Taliban. The US was initially hostile, but later engaged diplomatically, courtesy Doha talks, culminating in the 2020 US-Taliban agreement. After the 2021 withdrawal, the US maintains non-recognition and economic sanctions, demanding women rights, inclusivity, and action against terrorism.

As against, Russia has hosted Taliban delegations for talks in Moscow and calls for inclusive governance but does not condition engagement as strictly as the US. Russia did not officially recognize the Taliban either, but it was more flexible in diplomacy.

Strategic Interests

The US claims, to that many do not agree, that the super power is busy in global fight against terrorism and avoids getting entangled again in the Afghan conflict. Since withdrawal of troops the US has kept Taliban under pressure through sanctions and diplomatic isolation, including freezing foreign exchange reserves of Afghanistan.

The prime Russian interest is, ending US hegemony in the region. It also wants to protect its interests in Central Asia (Tajikistan, Uzbekistan and Turkmenistan). On top of all Russia seems to be keen in developing regional alliances that include Taliban as a reality, not a pariah.

Over the decades, the United States has maintained its hegemony through regional alliances, working closely under the NATO umbrella. The US policy towards Taliban is part of a broader Western approach tied to liberal values and counterterrorism.

Realizing its limitations Russia works closely with China, Iran, Central Asian republics. It often coordinates with anti-Western powers and is less constrained by democratic or human rights norms.

To get control over countries two of the world’s largest super powers, the United States as well as Russia have often used arsenal power. As against this China has used diplomacy and economic assistance to establish its influence.

During the election campaign Donald Trump had promised to pull the United States out of wars, but his unconditional support to Israeli genocide in Gaza and direct attacks on Iran prove he is also the tout of military complexes and would never like to end wars where the United States is involved directly or indirectly.

 

Russia becomes first country to recognize Taliban government of Afghanistan

Russia said on Thursday it had accepted the credentials of a new ambassador of Afghanistan, making it the first nation to recognize the Taliban government of the country, reports Reuters.

In a statement, the Russian Foreign Ministry said Moscow saw good prospects to develop ties and would continue to support Kabul in security, counter-terrorism and combating drug crime.

It also saw significant trade and economic opportunities, especially in energy, transport, agriculture and infrastructure

"We believe that the act of official recognition of the government of the Islamic Emirate of Afghanistan will give impetus to the development of productive bilateral cooperation between our countries in various fields," the ministry said.

Afghan Foreign Minister Amir Khan Muttaqi said in a statement, "We value this courageous step taken by Russia, and, God willing, it will serve as an example for others as well."

No other country has formally recognized the Taliban government that seized power in August 2021 as US-led forces staged a chaotic withdrawal from Afghanistan after 20 years of war.

China, the United Arab Emirates, Uzbekistan and Pakistan have all designated ambassadors to Kabul, in a step towards recognition.

The Russian move represents a major milestone for the Taliban administration as it seeks to ease its international isolation.

It is likely to be closely watched by Washington, which has frozen billions in Afghanistan's central bank assets and enforced sanctions on some senior leaders in the Taliban that contributed to Afghanistan's banking sector being largely cut off from the international financial system.

Russia has been gradually building relations with the Taliban, which President Vladimir Putin said last year was now an ally in fighting terrorism. Since 2022, Afghanistan has imported gas, oil and wheat from Russia.

The Taliban was outlawed by Russia as a terrorist movement in 2003, but the ban was lifted in April this year. Russia sees a need to work with Kabul as it faces a major security threat from Islamist militant groups based in a string of countries from Afghanistan to the Middle East.

In March 2024, gunmen killed 149 people at a concert hall outside Moscow in an attack claimed by Islamic State. US officials said they had intelligence indicating it was the Afghan branch of the group, Islamic State Khorasan (ISIS-K), that was responsible.

The Taliban says it is working to wipe out the presence of Islamic State in Afghanistan.

Soviet troops invaded the country in December 1979 to prop up a Communist government, but became bogged down in a long war against mujahideen fighters armed by the United States.

Grossi accused for helping US and Israeli attacks on Iran

Rafael Grossi, Director General of the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA), could potentially face prosecution in absentia for his role in enabling recent US and Israeli military aggression against Iran, said a senior Iranian judiciary official. The official emphasized that the case would require review and action through international legal mechanisms.

Speaking on the sidelines of the "American Human Rights from the Viewpoint of the Leader" congress, Hojjatoleslam Ali Mozaffari, Deputy Head of Iran’s Judiciary, addressed a range of legal and political concerns stemming from the recent 12-day war launched by Israel with US backing.

Mozaffari asserted that the hegemonic powers, particularly the United States, have consistently demonstrated hostility toward any independent nation's progress — especially that of the Islamic Republic of Iran.

"The American-led hegemonic system cannot tolerate the scientific, political, or economic advancement of any other nation. Our peaceful nuclear and missile achievements, as well as the broader development that has taken place since the Islamic Revolution, are viewed by them as intolerable threats,” he said.

He argued that Washington and its allies seek to monopolize scientific and technological progress by tying it to their own strategic interests. “Scientific progress is a universal human value — it should not be subject to the political agenda of any regime. But the West only acknowledges such progress when it serves their interests,” Mozaffari stated. 

“When Iran, as an independent Islamic system, proves that it can succeed on its own terms, it becomes a model for neighboring countries — and that is exactly what the hegemonic powers fear.”

Mozaffari also criticized efforts to tarnish Iran’s international standing through baseless accusations of human rights violations and nuclear weapons development. “These accusations have long lacked evidence, but were nonetheless used as pretexts to justify the brutal 12-day military assault on Iran — an aggression that led to the martyrdom of senior Iranian commanders and nuclear scientists, as well as the deaths of innocent civilians, including women and children,” he said.

He condemned the bombing of Iran’s national broadcaster, the Islamic Republic of Iran Broadcasting (IRIB), noting that it violates international conventions protecting independent media. “This institution was targeted precisely because it was exposing the atrocities of the aggressors. It was an attempt to silence the voice of justice — but they failed. The truth was heard, and the resistance of the Iranian people stood strong.”

On the legal front, Mozaffari revealed that various departments within the Iranian Judiciary, particularly the International Law Division, are now actively gathering documentation to pursue international legal claims.

“We are preparing formal complaints to present to international bodies, seeking material and moral compensation for the damages inflicted on Iran as a result of the US-Israeli aggression,” he said.

Addressing the possible prosecution of Rafael Grossi, Mozaffari stated that the matter falls under the jurisdiction of Iran’s international legal affairs and must be carefully examined within that framework. However, he emphasized that Grossi must be held accountable if it is proven that his conduct and reports facilitated acts of aggression.

“When someone prepares the ground for war crimes through biased and deceptive reports, they cannot expect immunity. Accountability is essential,” he said.

Mozaffari expressed skepticism about the effectiveness of international organizations in defending the rights of oppressed nations. “Unfortunately, history shows that global institutions have rarely taken meaningful action in defense of the oppressed. But despite this track record, Iran has a legal duty to pursue justice, and we will fulfill that duty,” he concluded.

As Israel launched strikes on Iran’s civilian nuclear infrastructure and carried out targeted assassinations of its scientists, Rafael Grossi’s failure to condemn the attacks—and his continued silence—was widely seen as implicit approval.

When the United States entered the conflict on June 22, deploying bunker-buster bombs and Tomahawk missiles against Iran’s key nuclear sites in Fordow, Natanz, and Isfahan, Grossi again refrained from issuing any criticism. Instead, he demanded that Tehran grant IAEA inspectors immediate access to the damaged facilities.

Tensions escalated further following a June 25 interview Grossi gave to Fox News, in which he speculated that around 900 pounds of enriched uranium were missing. He also refused to dismiss the possibility that the material could be hidden at a so-called “ancient site” near Isfahan—a remark that many Iranians interpreted as an attempt to justify future strikes on cultural heritage locations.

Iranian Parliament Speaker Mohammad-Baqer Qalibaf condemned Grossi’s remarks, describing his call for inspections of bombed facilities as “provocative and absurd,” and accused the IAEA of having compromised its integrity on the global stage.

In direct response, Iran’s parliament voted unanimously on June 25 to suspend all inspections by the IAEA until the agency can provide credible guarantees for the safety of Iran’s peaceful nuclear infrastructure.

 

MI6 appoints a female chief

Following the announcement that MI6 has just appointed Blaise Metreweli as its first-ever female chief, Charlotte Philby, granddaughter of one of Britain’s most notorious double agents and author of ‘The Secret Life of Women Spies’, explains why women make brilliant spies and should be recognized for their service

It has been 15 years since I returned to Moscow for The Independent. Back then, I was a twenty something writer, coming to terms with my father’s death and the many questions about his life that remained unanswered. Among them, what was the impact of learning via a newspaper headline, at the age of 19, that his own father, Kim Philby, was a double agent?

As I trudged along Moscow’s grey, snow-covered streets for the first time since I was a child, tracing my grandfather’s footsteps through the city to which he absconded after being unmasked as the “Third Man” in the Cambridge Spy Ring, I found ever more questions opening up in my mind. Among them, where were all the women?

In the many books, plays and films I had encountered over the years about my grandfather’s life and those he worked with as a Soviet mole, all the stories seemed to be about the men.

There were a few female faces, granted, but these were generally the secretaries or the wives – like Kim’s fourth wife, Rufina (or Rufa, as we knew her), who spoke tearfully about her late husband as we sat side by side on the same sofa that was there when my parents and I visited in the 1980s, in the apartment Kim was given after arriving in the Soviet Union on a tanker from Beirut.

Listening to Rufa – who some say was given to Kim as a reward and a distraction once he arrived behind the Iron Curtain, others that she was placed there by the KGB to keep an eye on him – it was impossible not to wonder about her true part in his story. It was equally impossible to expect I’d ever find out.

Women spies have played some of the most important and varied roles in espionage throughout the ages, as I discovered in researching my new narrative non-fiction book for readers young and old.

The Secret Lives of Women Spies is a collection of stories bringing to life the riveting private world of female spies from the 19th century to the present day. From armed scout for the Union army Harriet Tubman, through to Zandra Flemister, the first black woman to serve in the Secret Service, or the likes of Special Operations Executive agent Noor Inayat Khan, Russian “illegal” Anna Chapman and eccentric US performer turned star of the French Resistance Josephine Baker, the 20 or so women (and girls) featured here operated in all parts of the spy world, risking everything for what they believed in – their actions making make them heroes to some and traitors to others.

As well as telling their astonishing personal stories, the book explores their historical contexts in an attempt to understand their choices. Some, like Indian National Intelligence officer Saraswathi Rajamani, who at the age of 10 told Mahatma Gandhi, “When I grow up, I’m going to shoot an Englishman”, are straightforward. Others, like that of Mata Hari, whose legend as a German agent using her powers of seduction has been undermined as a new vision emerges of a disempowered woman doing everything she could to be reunited with the daughter taken from her by an abusive husband, are less so.

In recent years, there has been a drive towards more transparency and diversity in the British intelligence game. Under the directorship of Dame Stella Rimington – appointed in 1992, the first of two female MI5 chiefs, followed in 2002 by Eliza Manningham-Buller – the domestic security service was ordered to release files to the National Archive after a certain period.

It was thanks to the release of a bundle of papers under this protocol in 2015 that it became clear an Austrian woman named Edith Tudor-Hart, also a brilliant photographer and devoted single mother to a mentally ill son, had been the person responsible for my grandfather’s recruitment by the Soviets in the 1930s. Tudor-Hart was so important that Cambridge spy (and relative of the late Queen Elizabeth II) Anthony Blunt referred to her under interrogation as “The grandmother of us all”.

Interestingly, it was another woman – MI5’s first female officer, Jane Sissmore – who first tried to out Kim as a Soviet mole, though following a row with the acting director general, she was fired for insubordination before she could amass the necessary intelligence to prove her claim.

Women were not regularly recruited as intelligence officers in MI5 or MI6 until the late 1970s. In a recent interview with Harper’s Bazaar, Dame Stella said, “When I first joined MI5 in 1969, the women did the support work and the men did the ‘finding things out’.” She and a group of fellow disgruntled women employees got together and wrote a letter demanding better assignments. Her first test was to go into a pub and find out as much as she could about a person without attracting attention. “I practically got thrown out under suspicion of soliciting!” she added.

Indeed, when Vernon Kell co-founded MI6’s precursor in 1909, he described his ideal recruits as men “who could make notes on their shirt cuff while riding on horseback”.

Until now, a woman had never been at the helm of the UK’s foreign intelligence service, MI6. But that has all changed. As Richard Moore stands down this year as chief of the UK Secret Intelligence Service, the government has now named Metreweli, a career intelligence officer, as his replacement.

Metreweli, 47, who is currently MI6’s head of technology, known as “Q”, joined the Secret Intelligence Service in 1999. She has spent most of her career in operational roles in the Middle East and Europe.

Three of the top four jobs in the agency are already occupied by women, who gave an extensive group interview to the FT in 2022. In it, the director of operations, who grew up in the northwest of England and attended a grammar school, is quoted as saying being a woman can “be a secret sauce … When you’re playing into a culture which is particularly male-dominated, women tend to be underestimated and therefore perceived as less threatening.”

 

Zionists start anti Mamdani propaganda

Zionists have started anti Zohran Mamdani propaganda. He is the winner of the Democratic mayoral primary and expected to be the next mayor of New York City.

Zionists have started raising concerns that his victory could seriously impact support for Israel and its lifesaving organizations.

It is being said that Mamdani has made his agenda unmistakably clear, he’s not just critical of Israel, he’s working to punish anyone who supports it.

Zionists claim that among the most alarming signs is a bill Mamdani introduced that would fine synagogues and Jewish nonprofits at least US$ one million simply for donating to Israeli organizations like Zaka, United Hatzalah, and the One Israel Fund.

They claim it is a direct attack on the Jewish community’s right to give, to support, and to stand in solidarity with Israel during times of crisis.

Zaka considers itself to be Mamdani’s targets. It claims to be an emergency response organization that shows up when tragedy strikes - rescuing the injured, honoring the dead, and comforting the broken.

It claims to have responded to terror attacks, disasters, and car crashes across Israel, giving every victim the dignity they deserve and saving as many lives as it can. “This kind of sacred work would be seen as punishable is shocking, but it’s real”.

Even though the bill hasn’t passed, Mamdani’s actions signal a chilling future, where political power is used to silence support for Israel, and where organizations like Zaka could be cut off from the communities that sustain them.

 

Saudi Arabia commissions first THAAD missile defense unit

The Saudi Royal Air Defense Force officially inaugurated the first unit of the Terminal High Altitude Area Defense (THAAD) missile system during a ceremony held at the Air Defense Forces Institute in Jeddah, the Ministry of Defense announced.

The unit was commissioned into service following the successful completion of system testing, evaluation, and field training of personnel within the Kingdom.

The ceremony was attended by Lt. Gen. Mazyad Al-Amro, Commander of the Royal Saudi Air Defense Forces, who formally handed over the unit’s flag to the commander of the 1st Air Defense Group, marking its operational readiness.

The deployment of the first THAAD battery is part of a broader defense project aimed at boosting the Kingdom’s air defense capabilities and ensuring the protection of vital strategic infrastructure and national interests.

Previously, the Air Defense Forces had graduated personnel for the first and second THAAD units after they completed specialized training courses at Fort Bliss in the US state of Texas.

Dark Day for Independent Journalism

US Sen. Bernie Sanders warned Wednesday that Paramount Global's decision to settle President Donald Trump's meritless lawsuit sets "an extremely dangerous precedent" that could further enable authoritarian attacks on press freedom, reports Common Dreams.

"Paramount's decision will only embolden Trump to continue attacking, suing, and intimidating the media, which he has labeled 'the enemy of the people,'" Sanders said following news that Paramount agreed to pay US$16 million to settle Trump's suit over the media organization's handling of a "60 Minutes" interview with Kamala Harris ahead of the 2024 election.

"It is a dark day for independent journalism and freedom of the press—an essential part of our democracy. It is a victory for a president who is attempting to stifle dissent and undermine American democracy," Sanders continued. "Make no mistake about it. Trump is undermining our democracy and rapidly moving us towards authoritarianism, and the billionaires who care more about their stock portfolios than our democracy are helping him do it."

The senator accused Paramount of caving to Trump to help grease the federal approval process for the company's pending merger with Skydance. As part of the deal, Paramount chair Shari Redstone agreed to sell her family's company, National Amusements—which controls nearly 80% of Paramount voting stock—for US$2.4 billion.

"In other words," Sanders said Wednesday, "the Redstone family diminished the freedom of the press today in exchange for a US$2.4 billion payday."

Sen. Elizabeth Warren joined Sanders in condemning the settlement and called for a "full investigation into whether or not any anti-bribery laws were broken."

"The Trump administration's level of sheer corruption is appalling," said Warren, "and Paramount should be ashamed of putting its profits over independent journalism."

The Freedom of the Press Foundation (FPF), a Paramount shareholder that has threatened to sue the company if it settled the Trump suit, said Wednesday that the deal "will be remembered as one of the most shameful capitulations by the press to a president in history."

"Paramount's spineless decision to settle Trump's baseless and patently unconstitutional lawsuit is an insult to the journalists of '60 Minutes' and an invitation to Trump to continue targeting other news outlets," said Seth Stern, FPF's director of advocacy. "Each time a company cowers and surrenders to Trump's demands only emboldens him to do it again."

"But we are not done fighting," Stern said. "We've already filed a shareholder information demand and are sending a second demand today to uncover information about this decision. With that information, we will continue to pursue our legal options to stop this affront to Paramount shareholders, CBS journalists, and the First Amendment. Paramount directors should be held accountable, and we will do all we can to make that happen."