(SeaPRwire) –   Russia and Afghanistan’s Taliban administration have inked a military cooperation agreement, strengthening an alliance that deepens Moscow’s clout in Central Asia, reports indicate.

The agreement was concluded Wednesday during an international security forum in Russia, after a discussion between Russian Security Council Secretary Sergei Shoigu and Afghan Defense Minister Mohammad Yaqoob.

The Taliban’s Defense Ministry posted on X that Yaqoob journeyed to Russia for the event.

Yaqoob previously served as the Taliban’s military commander and is the son of the group’s founder, Mullah Mohammad Omar.

Omar maintained a tight alliance with Osama bin Laden and offered sanctuary from which al Qaeda orchestrated the 9/11 attacks.

As of Thursday, neither Russian nor Afghan officials had disclosed additional specifics of the new military pact.

“Afghanistan and Russia share long-standing historical ties. We intend to advance in this direction. We have broadened our bilateral relations,” Yaqoob stated during the meeting.

This pact comes after remarks from a high-ranking Russian security official, who said Moscow has formed a “comprehensive partnership” with Afghanistan’s governing Taliban and is urging other regional nations to enhance their engagement with Kabul, according to a Reuters report.

The Taliban retook control in August 2021, toppling the U.S.-supported Afghan government led by President Ashraf Ghani.

In 2021, Russian President Vladimir Putin recognized the potential for Russia to remove the Taliban from its list of terrorist organizations.

In 2024, he referred to the Taliban as “allies in the fight against terrorism,” and Russia became the first nation to formally acknowledge the Islamic Emirate of Afghanistan.

“Following years of hesitation, Russia has turned into the first country globally to grant official recognition to the Taliban administration in Afghanistan,” said Nikita Smagin, an expert on Iranian policies, Islamism, and Russia’s Middle East strategy, in a Carnegie Endowment for International Peace report.

“This is more a symbolic move than one motivated by trade or economic factors,” Smagin continued, noting that when Taliban fighters entered Kabul in August 2021, “Russia was already considered worthy of preferential treatment.”

“Its embassy was promptly granted security, and Russian Ambassador Dmitry Zhirnov was the initial foreign diplomat to confer with Afghanistan’s new leadership,” he elaborated.

On Wednesday, Shoigu additionally urged Western nations to release frozen Afghan assets.

“We believe Western countries must unblock Afghan funds, fully acknowledge their accountability for their two-decade presence in Afghanistan, and shoulder the load of the nation’s postwar recovery,” Shoigu was quoted as saying.

“Moscow must act to reclaim its image as a proactive, influential power, and recognizing the Taliban regime fulfills that exact aim,” Smagin further stated.

“Being the first to establish formal diplomatic ties with the Taliban government should position Russia at the forefront of regional security dialogues.”

He said the Taliban’s recognition was a Russian effort to “demonstrate its role as a principal global player unafraid to challenge conventions and create examples for others.”

Moscow persistently stresses the importance of direct collaboration with Kabul as it confronts serious, persistent security challenges from multiple opposing Islamist militant factions active across Central Asia and the Middle East, Reuters reported.

Shoigu also mentioned that Moscow is developing a “practical dialogue” with the Taliban encompassing security, trade, cultural, and humanitarian assistance, the news agency reported on May 14.