Taliban in a Circle of Distrust: From Bagram to the Detention of Kavorin

Kokcha News Agency: In a week where talks about the return of U.S. forces to Bagram Airfield have intensified, another significant intelligence event has shaken Afghanistan. The Taliban detained Svyatoslav Kavorin, a prominent Russian scientist, for over 50 days on suspicion of espionage.

This is not an isolated incident but a clear indication that the Taliban regime is moving towards distrusting all foreign entities, including Russia and Belarus, who were once allies in the collapse of the Afghan Republic.

According to a report from the Taliban’s counterintelligence agency (as cited by the Russian newspaper Nezavisimaya Gazeta

– The Taliban believes that Russian, Belarusian, and Chechen spies are entering Afghanistan under the guise of tourists and researchers.
– They describe the mission of these spies as disrupting the balance between the East and the West.
– Official orders have been issued to identify, arrest, and interrogate these agents.
– The Taliban has threatened that if Russia does not back down, they will take “more severe action than the Kavorin case.”

The report also suggests that the Taliban may increase its intelligence activities in Russia and Belarus through the Afghan and Central Asian diaspora.

This is the same regime that some still consider a “strategic partner” in the region. However, it is neither reconcilable with the U.S. nor trustworthy with Russia.