Russia has allegedly paced up its assistance to the Taliban, who have increased their attacks in recent weeks. According to Waheed Muzhda, a political analyst and former Taliban official, the Taliban has moved away from its roots in the 1980s anti-soviet resistance, especially following overtures from Moscow in 2005. Muzhda believes that with power in Afghanistan divided among Kabul, the Taliban and a number of strongmen there are many oppurtunities for foreign powers to exert influence. The spokesman for Abdullah Abdullah, who is the government’s chief executive, has said that while there are reports of an influx of Russian weapons, there was no certain information. Both Afghan and western official do agree, however, that Russia has channels of communication with the Taliban.

Source: Libya Today October 31, 2017 14:03 UTC