The radical Taliban movement (banned in the Russian Federation) controls 174 provinces in the country. This was stated by Shahabuddin Delawar, head of the Taliban delegation currently in Moscow.
"174 provinces have already effectively come under the control of the Islamic Emirate. We want to emphasize that such transitions cannot be caused only by force of arms. This shows that the people agree and welcome the Islamic Emirate of Afghanistan," he said.
"85 percent of Afghanistan's territory has been taken over by the Islamic Emirate," Delawar said. He urged international organizations to continue their work in the territory.
Delawar said Kabul, amid the US troop withdrawal, is reaching out to the Taliban with offers of cooperation. He said the movement does not seek to usurp power and believes all members of society should be represented in the Afghan state.
GSV "Russia - Islamic World"
Photo: Creative Commons
Based on materials from TASS