Taliban Says It Controls Most of Afghanistan, Reassures Russia

Members of Taliban political office Abdul Latif Mansoor (L), Shahabuddin Delawar (C) and Suhail Shaheen attend a news conference in Moscow, Russia, on July 9, 2021. Tatyana Makeyeva/Reuters

MOSCOW—A Taliban delegation in Moscow said on Friday that the group controlled over 85 percent of territory in Afghanistan and reassured Russia it would not allow the country to be used as a platform to attack others.

Foreign forces, including the United States, are withdrawing after almost 20 years of fighting, a move that has emboldened Taliban terrorists to try to gain fresh territory in Afghanistan.