Delegations from the Afghan Taliban and North Korea were seen interacting after meeting at a joint military exercise recently held in Russia.

According to EFE on October 5 (local time), the Afghan Ministry of Defense said in a statement on October 3 that a high-level defense ministry delegation participated in the "Center-2026" joint military exercise hosted by Russia.

The Taliban military delegation, led by Mawlawi Nasibullah Madani, commander of the "Abdullah bin Masoud Joint Combat Training Command," attended the drills held in Russia's central-western Chelyabinsk Oblast and other areas since late last month at the invitation of Russia.

They held talks with military delegations from various countries, including North Korea, China, India, Vietnam, Colombia, Uzbekistan, and Tajikistan.

The Afghan Defense Ministry stated that the discussions covered mutual cooperation measures related to bilateral relations, sharing military experience, training, and professional education.

The delegation also observed the exercises and visited a military equipment exhibition featuring state-of-the-art military technology, including heavy weapons, unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs), long-range missiles, and robotic systems.

Afghanistan has been strengthening its military cooperation with Russia, including the signing of a military-technical agreement with Russia in May.

At the time, the Taliban regime stated that the agreement was signed because much of Afghanistan's military equipment, such as helicopters, is of Russian origin and requires maintenance.

Facing international isolation and sanctions since retaking power in 2021, the Taliban regime has sought to strengthen ties with Russia, and Russia became the first country to officially recognize the Taliban regime in July of last year.

As North Korea is also closely aligning with Russia by deploying large-scale troops to the war in Ukraine, possibilities are being raised for future cooperation between the Afghan Taliban regime and North Korea mediated by Russia.

(Photo: Capture from Afghan Defense Ministry Telegram, Yonhap News)