Special Representative of Putin: We have common interests with Taliban

Russia and the Islamic fundamentalist movement "Taliban", operating in Afghanistan and Pakistan, have common interests that are in the fight against the "Islamic state". This was in an interview with Interfax said the special representative of Vladimir Putin in Afghanistan, the director of the 2nd Department of Asia, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs Zamir Kabulov.

"The interests of the Taliban ... objectively coincide with ours," the official said.

When asked whether Moscow is in contact with the Taliban on the fight against IG, Kabulov replied: "I have already spoke about the presence of communication channels for the exchange of information with the Taliban."

The official also accused the US of destabilizing the situation in Afghanistan. In this regard, he remarked: "The Taliban now act as a national liberation movement. For them, the Americans are the invaders who illegally occupied their homeland, threaten their cultural and religious traditions."

The Taliban and the Islamic State came into conflict , after the IS in January this year announced the creation of their cell in Veliky Khorasan, as Afghanistan and the neighboring areas of Pakistan, Iran and Central Asia were called in the old days. The Taliban called on IS not to create a "parallel jihadist front" and promised "to" protect everything they managed to achieve. " In response, IG accused the Taliban of crimes against Islam. The militants of the "Islamic state" were ordered to act "mercilessly and without a drop of compassion" in relation to those who "did not repent and did not join the caliphate."

Meanwhile, part of the Afghan Taliban passed under the banners of the IG.

In 2003, the UN Security Council recognized the Taliban with a terrorist group.