Afghanistans Taliban rulers were shunned by foreign governments after seizing power in 2021 but have recently notched up some big wins in their diplomatic efforts to forge international ties.

This week, Indian special envoy Anand Prakash was in Kabul for talks with senior Taliban leaders on boosting political and trade links.

That came after Uzbek Foreign Minister Bakhtiyor Saidov hosted a Taliban delegation in Tashkent to talk about a proposed trans-Afghan rail link.

And last week, in the biggest win of all, Russia removed the Taliban from its list ofterrorist organizationsand agreed that ambassadors would be appointed in Kabul and Moscow.

Nobody has recognized the Taliban regime, yet. The militant rulers have been widely criticized for widespread human rights violations, particularly against women and girls.

But things are moving toward their ultimate goal of acceptance in international circles.

Theres a growing feeling that the great powers are starting to compete among themselves to recognize a terrorist organization, Afghan political analyst Fakhim Kukhdomani toldRFE/RLs Current Time.

Chinabecame the first country to accept a Taliban-appointed ambassador in January 2024. It has been edging talks forward on infrastructure and investment as part of its Belt and Road Initiative.