Taliban defense minister in Moscow for security meeting

Mohammad Yaqoob Mujahid, the Taliban’s defense minister, traveled to Moscow on Tuesday to attend an international security conference hosted by Russia, the Taliban defense ministry said.

The ministry said the meeting would bring together security and defense officials from a number of countries in the region and beyond but did not provide further details about Yaqoob’s agenda or planned meetings.

The gathering appears to be part of Russia’s annual International Meeting of High Representatives for Security Issues, a forum that typically brings together senior security officials from dozens of countries to discuss regional and global security challenges. Previous meetings have attracted participants from more than 100 countries, as well as representatives of regional organizations including the Shanghai Cooperation Organization.

Yaqoob’s visit comes at a time of growing engagement between Moscow and the Taliban. Russia has steadily expanded contacts with Taliban since their return to power in 2021 and last year became the first country to formally recognize their rule. Russian officials have described their relationship with “Kabul” as a “full-fledged partnership” encompassing security, trade and humanitarian cooperation.

Russian officials continue to express concern about security threats emanating from Afghanistan.

Earlier this month, Sergei Shoigu, secretary of Russia’s Security Council, said between 18,000 and 23,000 militants belonging to more than 20 armed groups were operating in Afghanistan. He warned that terrorism and drug trafficking remained major threats to regional security.

Shoigu also said that the Islamic State’s regional affiliate, known as ISIS-K, had roughly 3,000 members in Afghanistan and remained one of the most significant security concerns for neighboring countries.

Russia has repeatedly cited the threat posed by militant groups in Afghanistan as a key reason for maintaining close security contacts with the Taliban. Moscow has been particularly concerned about the potential spillover of extremist activity into Central Asia, which it regards as a strategic security buffer.

Taliban have consistently rejected reports that Afghanistan poses a threat to neighboring countries, saying they do not allow Afghanistan’s territory to be used against other states. Taliban have also maintained that they have largely defeated ISIS-K and improved security across the country since returning to power.