Russia's plan to form ties with Taliban edges U.S. out of region

KABUL -- Russia's plan to remove the Taliban from its list of banned terrorist organizations signals it wants closer ties with the regime as it tries to edge out U.S. influence in the region, analysts said.

Moscow said this month it was speaking with Taliban leaders and working on making that change, weeks after gunmen stormed a concert hall and set off explosions, killing around 140 people. Islamic State group claimed responsibility for the attack, and the U.S. and other Western countries had laid the blame at its Afghan branch, known as ISIS-Khorasan Province or ISIS-K. Moscow, however, had sought to point the finger at Ukraine and Washington.