“Yemen's Houthi group freed more than 100 detainees in Sanaa on Sunday, calling
the move a "unilateral humanitarian initiative" to pardon prisoners and return
them to their families. "Most of them are humanitarian cases, including the
sick, the wounded, and the elderly," said Abdul Qader Al-Murtada, head of the
Houthi-run prisoner affairs committee, who announced the release and said the
detainees had been government soldiers captured at the battlefront. But Yemen's
internationally recognised government said the detainees were not soldiers, but
civilians the Houthis had kidnapped from homes, mosques and workplaces.
"Releasing these victims under any name does not absolve (the Houthis) of this
crime," Majed Fadail, deputy minister for human rights in Yemen's
internationally recognised government wrote in a post on social media platform
X.”











<[link removed]>
<[link removed]>



Eye on Extremism



May 28, 2024



Reuters: Yemen's Houthis Free More Than 100 Prisoners
<[link removed]>



“Yemen's Houthi group freed more than 100 detainees in Sanaa on Sunday,
calling the move a "unilateral humanitarian initiative" to pardon prisoners and
return them to their families. "Most of them are humanitarian cases, including
the sick, the wounded, and the elderly," said Abdul Qader Al-Murtada, head of
the Houthi-run prisoner affairs committee, who announced the release and said
the detainees had been government soldiers captured at the battlefront. But
Yemen's internationally recognised government said the detainees were not
soldiers, but civilians the Houthis had kidnapped from homes, mosques and
workplaces. "Releasing these victims under any name does not absolve (the
Houthis) of this crime," Majed Fadail, deputy minister for human rights in
Yemen's internationally recognised government wrote in a post on social media
platform X.”



Reuters: Iran's Near-Bomb-Grade Uranium Stock Grows, Talks Stall, IAEA Reports
Say
<[link removed]>



“Iran is enriching uranium to close to weapons-grade at a steady pace while
discussions aimed at improving its cooperation with the U.N. nuclear watchdog
are stalled, two confidential reports by the watchdog showed on Monday. The
International Atomic Energy Agency faces a range of difficulties in Iran,
including the fact it only implemented a small fraction of the steps IAEA chief
Rafael Grossi thought it committed to in a "Joint Statement" on cooperation
last year. "There has been no progress in the past year towards implementing
the Joint Statement of 4 March 2023," one of the two reports to member states,
both of which were seen by Reuters, said. Grossi travelled to Iran this month
for talks with Iranian officials aimed at improving cooperation and IAEA
monitoring in Iran. Follow-up talks have stalled, however, after the death of
Iranian President Ebrahim Raisi in a helicopter crash last week.”



CEP Mentions



Pamfleti: Islamic Terrorism Is About To Return To Europe, The Possible Targets
Of The Paris Olympics And Euro 2024
<[link removed]>



“..."The current terrorist threat to Europe is very large, as there is an
intersection of a series of disconnected but unfortunately mutually reinforcing
events," says Hans-Jakob Schindler, director of the Berlin-New York-based
Counter-Extremism Project. . "The attacks of October 7 changed the level of
threat from groups that for a long time did not pose any threat on the European
continent. Certainly there has always been Islamic terrorism, but it is not
Islamic terrorism in all its varieties from Hamas to Al-Qaeda. It's usually
Islamic State, Al-Qaeda and lone actors. Whereas now we have Hamas, Hezbollah,
actors acting alone, Islamic State, Al-Qaeda, extreme left and right. And all
of these can see their targets. The threat of terrorism has been there all
along, but because of the attacks on October 7, 2023, it has taken off the
media's attention, and this is the threat that comes from the Islamic State ,"
he adds.”



CapX: Extremism Has Plagued Our Streets For Too Long
<[link removed]>



“The Prime Minister knows, rain or shine, the only place to make the case for
things that matter to him and to the nation is outside his front door. His
previous foray, then in fairer weather, took place on March 1 in the aftermath
of George Galloway’s election victory when he warned democracy was being
targeted by extremists who hijacked the political process and protests to
undermine democratic values. Ironic, really, that the starting gun for the
general election on Wednesday was almost drowned out by a protest song blaring
on a loudspeaker just beyond the gates to Downing Street. Whatever you make of
Rishi Sunak or the timing of this election, it’s abundantly clear he is alarmed
at the way violent extremism has infiltrated and animated legitimate protest in
this country.”



Panay News: US Warns Of Worldwide Attacks Vs Pride Month
<[link removed]>



“...The Counter Extremism Project, a New York-based non-profit group, noted
that anti-LGBTQ ideas had been taken up by both Islamist and far-right
extremists. “It is no surprise that neo-Nazis and jihadis often express mutual
admiration for their shared anti-gay visions,” Mark D. Wallace, the project’s
chief executive, said in a statement. Protests and threats against LGBTQ
communities by homegrown US groups also have been on the increase in recent
years, according to a number of experts and research organizations. According
to a report by the Anti-Defamation League and Glaad, a group formerly known as
the Gay and Lesbian Alliance Against Defamation, there were at least 145
incidents of anti-LGBTQ violence, harassment and vandalism during Pride Month
in 2023. (BBC).”



BBC: Good Morning Scotland <[link removed]>



“Interview with Hans-Jakob Schindler on AFD in Germany.”



Deutschlandfunk: How The "Islamic State" System Works
<[link removed]>



“Documentary on terrorism financing in Germany. Interviews with Hans-Jakob
Schindler and Sofia Koller.”



The National: ICC Seeks Arrest Warrants For Netanyahu And Sinwar
<[link removed]>



“... Director of think tank the Counter Extremism Project, Hans-Jakob
Schindler, called the request for arrest warrants “powerless” and questioned
whether they would be enforced if they are issued as they are “very unlikely to
ever travel to a country in which the ICC has jurisdiction”. Director of think
tank the Henry Jackson Society Alan Mendosa added: “This is the start of an
arrest warrant process, not the end, and there will be no consequences for
Israeli leaders unless and until the ICC judges agree to issue them.” Last
week, Israel defended its attack on the south of Gaza against claims of
genocide, telling the UN’s highest court that any state would do the same.
Denying a claim by South Africa that Rafah is the “endgame” of Gaza’s
destruction, Israel said it entered the city to bring down a “military
stronghold for Hamas”.”



Gatestone Institute: Turkey's Government Enables Terrorists
<[link removed]>



“…Below is a brief list of the terror groups and regimes that Erdogan's
government enabled in pursuit of pro-jihad ideological and territorial gains.
Islamic Republic of Iran As the Counter Extremism Project notes: "The Islamic
Republic of Iran has aggressively sought to remake the Middle East under its
dominion, mainly by anchoring loyal 'proxies' in the region. "Some of Iran's
proxies in the Middle East include Hezbollah in Lebanon and Syria, Hamas in
Gaza, the Houthis in Yemen, and others. Where its proxies have not been able to
take root, Iran has engaged in subversive activities via the Islamic
Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) to undermine its rivals and enhance its
influence. Iran's quest for regional dominance has created tremendous
instability in the region and inflamed wars that have left thousands dead."



The New Arab: Five Pro-Iran Forces Killed In IS Attack In Eastern Syria
<[link removed]>



“…The rise of IS in these areas challenges the Assad regime's contention that
it has reimposed order on areas formerly controlled by the group. A report from
the Counter Extremism Project counted at least 69 confirmed attacks by IS in
Syria in April alone. The attacks resulted in the deaths of at least 84 Syrian
regime soldiers and fighters and 44 civilians, and more than doubled the total
number of confirmed IS operations for all of 2024.”



United States



The Guardian: Arizona Secretary Of State Calls Threats To Election Officials
‘Domestic Terrorism’
<[link removed]>



“The rising threats against US elections officials are a form of domestic
terrorism, the secretary of state in the presidential campaign battleground
state of Arizona has said. “Terrorism is defined as a threat of violence for a
political outcome,” Adrian Fontes said in remarks recorded for an NBC Meet the
Press episode airing on Sunday morning. “That’s what this is, and … we do have
to address it for what it is.” Fontes’s comments came as he formed part of a
Meet the Press panel of top elections officials from states whose voters could
decide in November whether Joe Biden serves a second term in the White House or
Donald Trump returns to the presidency. The Guardian has reported how Arizona’s
most populous county, Maricopa, has taken extraordinary measures to protect its
staff and the counting of ballots.”



Syria



Associated Press: Syrian Kurdish Authorities Hand Over A British Woman And 3
Children Linked To IS To A UK Delegation
<[link removed]>



“A British woman and three children linked to the militant Islamic State
group in Syria were handed over to a U.K. delegation that visited the region
this week, Syrian Kurdish-led authorities said Friday. The handover, which took
place on Wednesday, is the latest in a push to repatriate people from al-Hol
and Roj camps in northeastern Syria that house tens of thousands, mostly wives
and children of IS militants but also supporters of the extremist group. The
Kurdish authorities did not release the names of the four, saying only they
were held at Roj camp before the handover. According to a statement, a
delegation led by Britain’s Special Representative for Syria Ann Snow visited
northeastern Syria, where they discussed with the Kurdish authorities the
ongoing threat that IS still poses, five years after the extremists lost the
last sliver of land they once controlled in large parts of Iraq and Syria.”



Associated Press: Car Bomb In The Syrian Capital Kills One. Drone Strike Near
Lebanon Border Targets Two Vehicles
<[link removed]>



“A bomb attached to a car exploded early Saturday in the western part of the
Syrian capital that is home to several diplomatic missions, killing one person
and causing material damage, state media reported. Damascus’ Mazze neighborhood
houses the Iranian consulate, destroyed last month in a strike blamed on
Israel. The attack at the time killed seven people including two Iranian
generals and a member of Lebanon’s militant group Hezbollah, and triggered a
direct Iranian military assault on Israel for the first time, sparking fears of
a regionwide war. Several airstrikes have hit the tightly-secured neighborhood
over the past months, mostly targeting Iranian officials. State news agency,
SANA, didn’t say who the person killed was but said the blast set two other
cars ablaze.”



Associated Press: Donor Fatigue Persists As Nations Commit Around $8.1 Billion
For Conflict-Hit Syrians
<[link removed]>



“International donors meeting in Brussels said Monday they will commit 7.5
billion euros ($8.1 billion) in both grants and loans to support Syrians
battered by war, poverty, and hunger for the rest of this year and beyond. The
pledges surpassed the modest $4.07 billion that the United Nations had appealed
for, but was also a significant drop from amounts pledged last year and
previously — an indication of persisting donor fatigue as the world’s attention
is focused on conflicts elsewhere, including the wars in Ukraine and Sudan, and
most recently Israel’s war with Hamas in Gaza. At last year’s conference,
donors pledged $10.3 billion, just months after a 7.8 magnitude earthquake
struck Turkey and much of northern Syria, killing over 59,000 people, including
6,000 in Syria.”



Iraq



The New York Times: War-Weary Iraqis Feel For Gaza, But Fear Spread Of The
Conflict
<[link removed]>



“Iraqis have known the bitter taste of war so intimately and frequently over
the past 40 years that they say they can feel viscerally the suffering of
Palestinians in Gaza. They remember the dreaded whistling of a shell before
impact, the fear of a knock at the door bringing word of a loved one’s loss,
the stench of blood drying on concrete. This was daily life for many Iraqis for
years as an insurgent struggle against the American occupation and a civil war
between Sunni and Shia Muslims brought destruction and death to their
neighborhoods, shattered families and left behind countless widows and orphans.
Those memories initially prompted thousands of people to join demonstrations on
the streets of Iraq’s cities to show their solidarity with the Palestinian
cause. But as the war in Gaza dragged on, those displays of support faded.”



Afghanistan



Modern Diplomacy: Afghanistan: The Fountainhead Of Terrorism In The Region
<[link removed]>



“Afghanistan, a nation characterized by rugged mountains and a rich tapestry
of ethnic diversity, has for decades been at the epicenter of regional and
global terrorism. Its geopolitical significance, combined with a history of
foreign intervention and internal strife, has fostered an environment conducive
to the proliferation of terrorist activities. To understand Afghanistan’s
position as a fountainhead of terrorism, it is essential to trace the
historical context that has shaped its current state. Afghanistan’s modern
history is marked by a series of conflicts that have significantly influenced
its political and social landscape. The Soviet invasion of Afghanistan in 1979
marked a critical turning point. The decade-long conflict saw the rise of the
Mujahideen, a conglomeration of Afghan resistance fighters who, with
substantial support from the United States, Pakistan, and Saudi Arabia, fought
against Soviet forces.”



Pakistan



Associated Press: 7 Pakistani Soldiers, 23 Militants Killed In Separate
Shootouts During Raids Along The Afghan Border
<[link removed]>



“Pakistan’s security forces were conducting several raids in the country’s
volatile northwest, a former stronghold of the Pakistani Taliban, when
shootouts ensued leaving seven soldiers and 23 militants dead, the army said
Monday. The first exchange of fire occurred overnight on the outskirts of
Peshawar, the capital of the Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province, killing six militants
and two army officers who “embraced martyrdom,” according to a statement by
Pakistan’s military. A second shootout happened during another security
operation on Monday in the district of Tank, leaving 10 militants dead, the
statement said, adding that five soldiers and seven militants were also killed
during a separate fire exchange in the district of Khyber. The military
provided no further details, but previous operations in the area targeted
members of the Pakistani Taliban who have started regrouping in the
northwestern region in recent years.”



Yemen



Reuters: Yemen's Houthis Say They Launch Attacks On 3 Ships Including One In
Mediterranean
<[link removed]>



“Yemen's Houthis launched attacks on three ships in the Red Sea,
Mediterranean Sea and Arabian Sea, the Iran-aligned group said on Friday,
although the manager of the ship allegedly attacked in the Mediterranean said
there was no sign of such an incident. The reported attacks are the latest in a
months-long campaign of Houthi strikes against regional shipping in what the
group says is solidarity with Palestinians fighting Israel in the Gaza war. The
Houthis' military spokesman Yahya Sarea said in a televised speech that Houthi
forces had targeted the Yannis ship in the Red Sea, the Essex in the
Mediterranean Sea and MSC Alexandra in the Arabian Sea. Houthis "fired several
missiles at the ship Essex in the Mediterranean Sea while it was violating the
decision ban that prevents entry into occupied Palestinian ports", Sarea added.”



Saudi Arabia



Associated Press: Saudi Arabia Appoints First Ambassador To Syria Since 2012
<[link removed]>



“Saudi Arabia on Sunday announced the appointment of its first ambassador to
Syria since severing ties with Damascus in 12 years, marking an ongoing thawing
in relations since the war-torn country was readmitted to the Arab League over
a year ago. Faisal al-Mujfel’s appointment as the kingdom’s first ambassador to
Syria since 2012 was announced by the state-run Saudi Press Agency. It comes
over a year after Syria was readmitted to the 22-member Arab League. It
remained suspended from the group for more than a decade over President Bashar
Assad’s brutal crackdown on anti-government protesters in 2011. Riyadh severed
ties with Damascus in 2012. Syrian state media and authorities did not
immediately comment on the development.”



Lebanon



Associated Press: An Israeli Strike In Southern Lebanon Kills 2 People Near A
Hospital, Officials Say
<[link removed]>



“An Israeli strike targeting a motorcycle in southern Lebanon hit next to a
hospital entrance Monday, killing the motorcycle driver and a hospital security
guard and wounding several civilians nearby, local health officials said. It
was not immediately clear who the driver was or why he was targeted in the
strike in the town of Bint Jbeil. The Israeli army did not give a statement on
the strike but said it had targeted other areas of southern Lebanon in response
to “terrorist launches.” The Lebanese militant group Hezbollah has been
exchanging strikes with Israeli forces in the border area almost daily since
Oct. 8, a day after the Israel-Hamas war in Gaza began. Mohammed Suleiman,
director of the Salah Ghandour Hospital in Bint Jbeil, said they had initially
received one person killed and nine wounded in the strike, most of whom were
“civilians who were in front of the hospital, where family members and people
accompanying the patients usually gather.”



Middle East



Associated Press: ‘We Have Nothing.’ As Israel Attacks Rafah, Palestinians Are
Living In Tents And Searching For Food
<[link removed]>



“The tent camps stretch for more than 16 kilometers (10 miles) along Gaza’s
coast, filling the beach and sprawling into empty lots, fields and town
streets. Families dig trenches to use as toilets. Fathers search for food and
water, while children look through garbage and wrecked buildings for scraps of
wood or cardboard for their mothers to burn for cooking. Over the past three
weeks, Israel’s offensive in Rafah has sent nearly a million Palestinians
fleeing the southern Gaza city and scattering across a wide area. Most have
already been displaced multiple times during Israel’s nearly 8-month-old war in
Gaza, which is aimed at destroying Hamas but has devastated the territory and
caused what the United Nations says is a near-famine.”



Reuters: Tanks Reach Rafah's Centre As Israel Presses Assault
<[link removed]>



“Israeli tanks reached the centre of Rafah for the first time on Tuesday,
witnesses said, three weeks into a ground operation in the southern Gaza city
that has sparked global condemnation. The tanks were spotted near Al-Awda
mosque, a central Rafah landmark, the witnesses told Reuters. The Israeli
military said its forces continued to operate in the Rafah area without
commenting on reported advancements into the city centre. Overnight, its forces
pounded the city with airstrikes and tank fire, residents said, pressing its
offensive despite an international outcry over an attack on Sunday that sparked
a blaze in a tent camp, killing at least 45 Palestinians, more than half of
them children, women and the elderly. Since that strike, at least 26 more
people have been killed by Israeli fire in Rafah, officials in the enclave run
by Hamas militants said.”



Associated Press: Netanyahu Says Deadly Israeli Strike In Rafah Was The Result
Of A ‘Tragic Mishap’
<[link removed]>



“Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said Monday that a “tragic mishap” was
made in an Israeli strike in the southern Gaza city of Rafah that set fire to a
camp housing displaced Palestinians and, according to local officials, killed
at least 45 people. The strike only added to the surging international
criticism Israel has faced over its war with Hamas, with even its closest
allies expressing outrage at civilian deaths. Israel insists it adheres to
international law even as it faces scrutiny in the world’s top courts, one of
which last week demanded that it halt the offensive in Rafah. Netanyahu did not
elaborate on the error. Israel’s military initially said it had carried out a
precise airstrike on a Hamas compound, killing two senior militants. As details
of the strike and fire emerged, the military said it had opened an
investigation into the deaths of civilians.”



Nigeria



Reuters: White House: Nigeria Making Progress In Combating Boko Haram
<[link removed]>



“Nigeria has made progress in combating Boko Haram although the Islamist
militant group is still a threat, the White House said on Thursday, adding that
the United States has assisted Nigerian authorities working to secure the
release of schoolgirls kidnapped by the militants. "The threat still remains
and it is quite serious, and it is why the United States continues to be
committed to supporting them as they counter that threat," White House
spokesman Josh Earnest told reporters at a daily press briefing.”



BBC: At Least 160 Villagers Reported Taken In Deadly Raid
<[link removed]>



“Ten people have been killed and at least 160 other villagers have been
kidnapped from a remote community in Nigeria's central Niger state, officials
say. A large number of armed men, suspected to be from Nigeria's militant
Islamist group Boko Haram, invaded Kuchi village on Friday night, local
official Aminu Abdulhamid Najume told the BBC's World Service. Those kidnapped
were mostly women and children, while those killed included local hunters who
were providing security for the area, he said. The gunmen reportedly rode into
Kuchi on motorbikes and even spent time cooking food, making tea and looting
houses before leaving more than two hours later. Mr Najume , who chairs the
Council of the Munya Local Government Area, said the Kurchi community had been
left traumatised and anxious to hear news of those taken. Writing on social
media, Amnesty International expressed its "deep concern" at the mass
abduction.”



Mali



The Atlantic: Five Dead Following Militant Attack On Mourdiah Military Post,
Mali
<[link removed]>



“A Macina Liberation Front (MLF) attack on a Malian Army (FAMA) post in the
southwestern village of Mourdiah has left five soldiers dead and a ‘significant
number’ of terrorists neutralized. According to a statement from the General
Staff of the Malian Armed Forces, at approximately 5:40 a.m. on Sunday, May
26th, the Macina Liberation Front militants “carried out an attack with the use
of two kamikaze vehicles and shelling against the FAMA post of Mourdiah, Nara
region.” While the total number of militants killed has not been released, the
statement alludes to the death of a ‘significant number’, as well as claiming
dozens more militants were injured in the attack. Additionally, eleven PKM
machine guns, various rockets, nine motorcycles, three radios, and a
significant amount of ammunition were recovered.”



Africa



Voice Of America: About 10 Civilians Killed In DR Congo Rebel Attack, Sources
Say
<[link removed]>



“Around 10 civilians were killed in the latest attacks blamed on ADF rebels
affiliated with the Islamic State group in eastern DRC this weekend, prompting
local authorities to launch an urgent appeal for help, sources told AFP Sunday.
The ADF, originally mainly Muslim Ugandan rebels, have established a presence
over the past three decades in eastern DRC, killing thousands of civilians. In
recent weeks they have stepped up their attacks and looting of villages and
health centers. "Our people are fed up with burying civilians every day," Leon
Kakule Siviwe, leader of the Beni-Mbau district in the north of North Kivu
province, told AFP. "We are making a heartfelt appeal to the country's
authorities and asking them to help us restore peace to our region." Siviwe put
the death toll at three on Friday and four on Saturday, with around 10 people
also missing.”



United Kingdom



BBC: Man Charged With Terrorism Offences After Syria Trip
<[link removed]>



“A man has been charged with terrorism offences after travelling to Syria,
the Met Police has said. Isa Giga, previously of Hounslow, west London,
allegedly went to fight for the "Jaysh Al Fath" groups. He was arrested after
arriving in London on a flight from Turkey on Thursday. The 31-year-old was due
to appear at Westminster Magistrates' Court on Saturday. Commander Dominic
Murphy, head of the Met's Counter Terrorism Command, said: "We have been clear
for some time now that should anyone return to the UK whom we suspect of being
involved in any terrorist-related activity overseas, then they can expect to be
thoroughly investigated. "We work very closely with other partners and agencies
here in the UK and overseas in order to do this and help keep the public safe."”



Europe



Associated Press: Spain And Norway Formally Recognize A Palestinian State As
EU Rift With Israel Widens
<[link removed]>



“Spain and Norway moved to formally recognize a Palestinian state with
Ireland to follow suit on Tuesday in a coordinated effort by the three western
European nations. Israel slammed the diplomatic move that will have no
immediate impact on its grinding war in Gaza but adds to international pressure
on Tel Aviv to soften its devastating response to last year’s Hamas-led attack.
Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez said the Spanish Cabinet will recognize a
Palestinian state at its Tuesday morning meeting. “This is a historic decision
that has a single goal, and that is to help Israelis and Palestinians achieve
peace,” Sánchez, standing at the gates of the prime minister’s palace in
Madrid, said during a televised speech. Israel’s Foreign Minister Israel Katz
lashed out at Spain on X, saying Sánchez’s government was “being complicit in
inciting genocide against Jews and war crimes.””



India



India Today: Sri Lanka Zeroes In On Handler Of Four ISIS Terrorists Arrested
In India
<[link removed]>



“Sri Lankan security forces suspect that a 46-year-old man acted as a handler
of the four Sri Lankan nationals who were arrested at Ahmedabad airport in
India last week for suspected links with the banned Islamic State (ISIS)
outfit, a media report said on Monday. Sri Lanka Police revealed that the
wanted suspect, identified as Osmand Gerrard - a resident of Dematagoda, often
changes his appearances, and these are some of his appearances that detectives
suspect he may be using now, Newsfirst news portal reported. Sri Lanka Police
recently announced a cash award of Rs 2 million for any credible information on
the whereabouts of the wanted suspect. The Gujarat Anti-Terrorist Squad (ATS)
on May 19 arrested four Sri Lankans with links to the ISIS at the Sardar
Vallabhai Patel airport in Ahmedabad.”



China



The Times Of India: China Backs Probe Into Suicide Attack As Pakistan Asks
Afghan Taliban To Hand Over Plotters
<[link removed]>



“Beijing backed Monday Pakistan’s investigation into the recent suicide
attack that killed five Chinese engineers and their Pakistani driver in Khyber
Pakhtunkhwa province on March 26, after Islamabad accused Taliban authorities
in Afghanistan of sheltering the “plotters” and demanded that they be handed
over. However, China refrained from holding Afghanistan’s interim govt
responsible for sheltering the terrorists, as alleged by Islamabad, as it finds
itself in a quandary because it shares close ties with Taliban govt in
Afghanistan and has extended diplomatic recognition to the interim regime. The
Chinese workers died when a suicide bomber rammed an explosive-laden vehicle
into their bus. The Chinese were working on Dasu hydropower project, which is
about 300km north of Islamabad. The 4,320MW project is being constructed by
China Gezhouba with funding from World Bank.”



Russia



Voice Of America: Diplomat: Russia Moving Closer To Delisting Afghanistan's
Taliban As Terrorist Group
<[link removed]>



“A senior Russian diplomat says Russia’s foreign and justice ministries have
told President Vladimir Putin that Afghanistan’s ruling Taliban “can be
removed” from the list of Moscow-designated terrorist organizations. Zamir
Kabulov, the special presidential envoy for Afghanistan, told state-run TASS
news agency Monday that the delisting would enable Moscow to decide whether to
recognize the Taliban government. “Without this [removal of the ban on the
Taliban], it will be premature to talk about recognition,” he was quoted as
saying. “Therefore, work on this issue continues. All considerations have been
reported to the top leadership of Russia. We are waiting for a decision."
Separately, TASS quoted Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov as saying Monday
that the Taliban is the “real power” in Afghanistan and that the group’s
possible removal from Moscow’s list of banned organizations reflects “objective
reality.””



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