Russia 'won't interfere in Afghanistan's domestic affairs' amid Taliban takeover: Putin

Russian President Vladimir Putin has said that his country will not interfere in Afghanistan’s domestic affairs as the conflict continues for a second week. Speaking to a state-controlled Tass news agency, Putin admitted that the situation in the Taliban-controlled state was “alarming”.

“Naturally, we will not interfere in Afghanistan’s domestic affairs, neither will our armed forces be drawn into this all-against-all conflict. I think this is what is going on there," he said.

However, Putin asserted that Moscow was keeping a close eye on the situation in Afghanistan and also “cooperating with allies in the Collective Security Treaty Organisation (CSTO). Furthermore, he also defended his policy of non-interference highlighting “lessons” that the former state of USSR had learned from its experiences with Afghanistan. It is worth mentioning that China, another communist country, has also stated the same policy earlier this week. 

"You know how difficult and alarming the situation in Afghanistan currently is. We are keeping a close eye on this situation, actively cooperating with our allies in the Collective Security Treaty Organization (CSTO)," he said at a congress of the ruling United Russia party.

Amrullah Saleh exposes Pakistan

Recently, the caretaker president of Afghanistan spoke to Republic Media Network wherein he revealed details of a possible deal with the Taliban, the role of Pakistan in the conflict and the colossal “misjudgment” of the American administration. Labelling the Talibs as “barbaric, brutal and vengeful”, Amrullah Saleh asserted that the Afghan government was unwilling to take part in the ‘Taliban Emirate”. Additionally, he also highlighted the role of Pakistan in fuelling the war and supporting the Sunni Pashtun insurgents. “The US should acknowledge publicly it is Pakistan defeating them, not Taliban who do not know what are they fighting for.” 

Afghanistan and Russia share a border with several ex-Soviet republics in Central Asia. Despite the fact that the extremist group is technically banned in Russia, the Kremlin has been cautiously bullish about it since its capture of power in Kabul on Aug 15. The political office of the Taliban in Qatar informed Arab media on Tuesday that it has "excellent connections" with Russia and China. 

(With inputs from ANI)