Is russia helping taliban?

[Drawing-slim]

Amazing historical turn of events if true.
Russia denies it is supplying the Taliban after Nato general claim - BBC News
https://apple.news/ADgWnZd8LRt-xYTBRfeBIew

[SamJunior]

[Dick]

albanians

[Drawing-slim]

albanians

[Odin]

[QAZAQ]

Russia is real terrorist organization but not TALIBAN

[Daos777]

It’s only business


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

[sean]

Russia has already recognised the Taliban government through backdoor channels. It's just an opportunity to thumb their nose at the West and sell gas and weapons. Same for China.

Spoiler!

Russia paid bounties to Taliban for killing US soldiers. Trump knew and did nothing.

Spoiler!

Afghanistan under Taliban rule would just be politically isolated as a rogue state. The only states that would be interested in closer relations with Afghanistan would be Russia a buffer in Central Asia. And China for part of their Belt and Road initiative since they could have the Taliban protect a pipeline through Afghanistan and into Iran.

Afghanistan was mega fucked under the Soviets and it gave rise to the proto-Taliban and radical Islamism. During the 1980's, Soviet troops liked to partake in the drug and were trading their own weapons for heroin from local drug lords. Over the years, drug-addicted soldiers became a big problem for the USSR. The small band of drug lords were, in effect, commandeering huge supplies of Soviet weapons just so Soviet soldiers could get high.

From 1984, Soviet military police set up roadblocks in Kabul to intercept stockpiles of military equipment stolen by Soviet troops looking to flog it off for heroin. When discovered, they were sent on a one-way trip to a Siberian gulag. As the war raged, the Americans worried that the Soviets were going to flood the US with heroin.

Tajik-Afghan border was one of the main sources of narcotics in USSR after Soviet-Afghan war. In the 90's the Mujahideen/proto-Taliban were seeping into Tajikistan after the Soviets were dissolved, so the Tajik government asked Russia for assistance, which was mostly the Russian Army blowing up anything crossing the border with Afghanistan with copious amounts of artillery.

Tajikistan was in a civil war for a large part of the 90's, with an armistice signed in 1997. This civil war included Islamist factions with support from the Mujahideen.

Taliban is primarily Pashtuns living in southeast Afghanistan and western Pakistan (with a mix of Balochi, Wazir, and various other tribes that live in that region). The whole Northern Alliance who opposed centralization of power in Pashtun (Taliban) hands is a coalition of moderates, commies, those Pashtun idealists that thought that Taliban is taking it a bit too far by wanting to larp as 7th century Arabia (Eastern Shura), ethnic minority autonomists (Tajik and Uzbek autonomists), and various tribal warlords (Hazara and Turkmen).

They successfully resisted Taliban after their takeover of most of the country in 1996, and in 2001 with the US assistance they swept through the country and dislodged Taliban regime.

Anyway, Russia will probably have monopoly on lithium mining in the country, China will be busy with building their One Belt One Road infrastructure through the country (China's interests are to likely ensure that the Uyghur groups do not find haven in Afghanistan), Iran is sending free fuel shipments and has waivered all of the border fees and taxes on fuel and oil imports. And all the while Talibans sitting at the top and picking up the profits.

[Crn Volk]

Well the US was arming them when the Soviets were fighting them, so I guess it's only fair to return the favour

[Longbowman]

Yes, for at least a decade. Open secret.

Iran and China too. Wouldn't you have done the same?