Russia and the Taliban government in Afghanistan have signed a military cooperation pact, cementing an alliance that further solidifies Moscow’s influence in Central Asia, according to reports.

The deal, finalized Wednesday at an international security forum in Russia, followed a meeting between Russian Security Council Secretary Sergei Shoigu and Afghan Defense Minister Mohammad Yaqoob.

The Taliban Defense Ministry announced on X that Yaqoob had traveled to Russia to attend the conference.

Yaqoob is the Taliban’s former military chief and the son of Taliban founder Mullah Mohammad Omar.

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Omar had formed a close alliance with Osama bin Laden and provided a safe haven from which al Qaeda planned the 9/11 terrorist attacks.

As of Thursday, neither Russia nor the Afghan side had shared the further details of the new military agreement.

"Afghanistan and Russia have long and historical relations. In this direction, we want to move further. We have expanded bilateral relations," Yaqoob said at the meeting.

The pact follows statements from a senior Russian security official who noted that Moscow has established a "full-fledged partnership" with Afghanistan's ruling Taliban and is encouraging other countries in the region to expand cooperation with Kabul, Reuters reported.

The Taliban had regained power in August 2021, after overthrowing the U.S.-backed Afghan government run by President Ashraf Ghani.

In 2021, Russian President Vladimir Putin acknowledged the possibility of dropping Russia’s classification of the Taliban as a terrorist organization.

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In 2024, he called the Taliban "allies in the fight against terrorism" and Russia became the first country to formally recognize the Islamic Emirate of Afghanistan.

"After several years of vacillation, Russia has become the first country in the world to officially recognize the Taliban government in Afghanistan," Nikita Smagin, an expert on Iranian foreign and domestic policies, Islamism and Russia's policy in the Middle East, said in a report from the Carnegie Endowment for International Peace.

"It’s more of a symbolic gesture than something driven by trade or economic considerations," Smagin added, describing how when Taliban militants entered the Afghan capital in August 2021, "Russia was already deemed eligible for special treatment."

"Its diplomatic mission was immediately provided with security, and Russian Ambassador Dmitry Zhirnov became the first foreign diplomat to meet with the new rulers of Afghanistan," he explained.

On Wednesday, Shoigu also called for Western countries to unfreeze sanctioned Afghan assets.

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"We are convinced that Western countries should unfreeze blocked Afghan assets, fully recognize their responsibility for their 20-year presence in Afghanistan, and bear the burden of the country's post-conflict reconstruction," Shoigu said, according to reports.

"Moscow needs to take steps that will restore its image as an influential power that holds the initiative, and recognition of the Taliban regime serves precisely that purpose," Smagin added.

"The status of the first country to establish official diplomatic relations with the Taliban government should ensure Russia has a leading role in discussions of regional security issues."

The recognition of the Taliban, he said, was an attempt by Russia to "prove itself as a leading global force that is not afraid to break established norms and set precedents for other countries."

Moscow continues to emphasize the need to work directly with Kabul as it faces severe, ongoing security threats from various rival Islamist militant groups operating throughout Central Asia and the Middle East, Reuters said.

Shoigu also said Moscow was building a "pragmatic dialogue" with the Taliban that included security, trade, culture and humanitarian support, the outlet reported May 14.

Pakistan rejected reports Tuesday that it allowed Iranian aircraft to use its airfields amid tensions with the United States—claims suggesting the move could have shielded the planes from potential airstrikes—even as Islamabad positioned itself as a high-profile mediator between the two sides.

According to the report May 11, Tehran was also said to have possibly sent a civilian aircraft to Afghanistan during the conflict. 

Pakistan said Tuesday the CBS report was "misleading and sensationalized. Such speculative narratives appear aimed at undermining ongoing efforts for regional stability and peace," the Ministry of Foreign Affairs said in a statement.

"Following the ceasefire and during the initial round of the Islamabad Talks, a number of aircraft from Iran and the United States arrived in Pakistan to facilitate the movement of diplomatic personnel, security teams, and administrative staff associated with the talks process," the ministry said before clarifying that "some aircraft and support personnel remained temporarily in Pakistan in anticipation of subsequent rounds of engagement."

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The alleged Iranian asset movements had also suggested there was an effort by Iran to conceal some of its remaining aerial assets as Pakistan worked behind the scenes to broker a ceasefire between Iran and the United States.

President Donald Trump also confirmed Tuesday he was satisfied with the mediation work carried out by Pakistan, telling reporters ahead of his trip to China that they were "great."

"I think the Pakistanis have been great. The field marshal and the prime minister of Pakistan have been absolutely great," Trump clarified.

In April, Pakistan had emerged as a key mediator in efforts to de-escalate tensions between Washington and Tehran amid the Strait of Hormuz crisis and the regional conflict.

Islamabad hosted senior delegations for talks on April 11–12 after helping secure a temporary two-week ceasefire.

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Pakistan’s position was unique, given its geographic proximity to Iran and its longstanding strategic partnership with the United States. 

Mediation efforts were led by Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif, Army Chief Gen. Asim Munir and Foreign Minister Ishaq Dar.

Officials told CBS that, days after Trump announced a ceasefire with Iran in early April, Tehran sent multiple aircraft to Pakistan Air Force Base Nur Khan.

Nur Khan Airbase, located near Rawalpindi, is said to be a key installation of the Pakistan Air Force and serves as a major logistical and operational hub. 

Among the aircraft reportedly moved there was an Iranian Air Force RC-130, a reconnaissance and intelligence-gathering variant of the Lockheed C-130 Hercules, the outlet said.

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Despite initial progress between the U.S. and Iran, talks in Islamabad on April 11 ultimately collapsed. 

However, Pakistani leadership said it felt optimistic. "We are very optimistic that the current momentum will lead to a lasting agreement," Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif said.

Trump also praised Pakistan’s mediating role again, stating on May 7, "Pakistan has been fantastic. And its leaders have been fantastic—the marshal and the prime minister."

As part of the next response, Trump also launched "Project Freedom" to guide vessels through the Strait of Hormuz and to help free up shipping.

Trump's initiative to help thousands of stranded crew lasted 48 hours, with the president later acknowledging that it was halted "at the request of Pakistan and other countries," including Saudi Arabia, to avoid jeopardizing ongoing negotiations with Iran.

Sen. Lindsey Graham, R-S.C. said Monday that if Pakistan did shelter Iranian aircraft during mediation then it would force a complete reassessment of Pakistan’s role.

"If this reporting is accurate, it would require a complete reevaluation of the role Pakistan is playing as mediator between Iran, the United States and other parties. Given some of the prior statements by Pakistani defense officials towards Israel, I would not be shocked if this were true," Graham said in a post shared on X.

Fox News Digital has reached out to the Government of Pakistan, The White House and U.S. Central Command for comment.

MELBOURNE, Australia (AP) — Australia’s most decorated living veteran, Ben Roberts-Smith, walked free on bail from a Sydney prison on Friday, 10 days after he was charged with war crimes in the killings of five people while serving in Afghanistan.

Judge Greg Grogin granted Roberts-Smith bail in a Sydney court around five hours earlier, ruling the former Special Air Service Regiment corporal had established exceptional circumstances to justify his release from custody. Prosecutors had opposed bail and argued there was a risk that Roberts-Smith would flee Australia or interfere with witnesses and evidence.

Roberts-Smith, 47, was arrested on April 7 and charged with five counts of war crime murder involving the deaths of five Afghans in Uruzgan province in 2009 and 2012.

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Australian law defines war crime murder as the intentional killing in a context of armed conflict of a person who is not taking an active part in the hostilities, such as a civilian, a prisoner of war or a wounded soldier.

Roberts-Smith was driven away from Sydney’s Silverwater Correctional Complex late Friday apparently wearing the same clothes he wore when police escorted him from a commercial airliner at Sydney Airport last week, news media images showed.

Roberts-Smith was awarded both the Victoria Cross and Medal of Gallantry for his service in Afghanistan and is only the second Australian veteran of the Afghanistan campaign to be charged with a war crime.

The charges follow a military report released in 2020 that found evidence elite SAS and commando regiment troops unlawfully killed 39 Afghan prisoners, farmers and other noncombatants. Around 40,000 Australian military personnel served in Afghanistan between 2001 and 2021, of whom 41 were killed.

Similar allegations against Roberts-Smith were found credible in a civil court case in 2023 when a judge rejected his claims that newspaper articles defamed him.

AUSTRALIA'S MOST DECORATED WAR VETERAN APPEALS COURT RULING THAT BLAMED HIM FOR UNLAWFUL KILLING OF AFGHANS

At that trial, Roberts-Smith testified he had never killed an unarmed Afghan and denied ever committing a war crime. He claimed he has been the victim of spiteful fellow soldiers’ lies and of others’ envy of his medals.

But while the civil court found the war crimes allegations were mostly proven on a balance of probabilities, the war crime murder charges would have to be proved in a criminal court to a higher standard of beyond reasonable doubt.

Roberts-Smith is accused of personally shooting dead two victims. He allegedly ordered subordinates to shoot the other three victims.

In opposing bail, prosecutor Simon Buchen described the charges against Roberts-Smith as "among the most serious known to the criminal law."

Buchen said Roberts-Smith had been "on the cusp of relocating overseas" without telling authorities when he became aware that prosectors were considering charges.

Roberts-Smith had made "advanced plans to relocate overseas. Consideration was being given to moving to various destinations overseas," Buchen told the court.

Roberts-Smith faces a potential maximum sentence of life in prison on each conviction. He has yet to enter pleas.

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Defense lawyer Slade Howell told the bail hearing Roberts-Smith’s case "may properly be described as exceptional in the sense that it is out of the ordinary."

"The use of domestic courts to prosecute alleged war crimes committed by a highly decorated Australian soldier deployed overseas repeatedly by the Australian government to fight a war on its behalf is unprecedented and is uncharted legal territory of the common law of this country," Howell said.

Howell also said Roberts-Smith’s "proceedings will be beset by a multitude of delays, many of which are peculiar to these proceeding."

Potential delays could arise if prosecutors decide to charge one or more of Roberts-Smith’s fellow veterans, some of whom now live overseas, Howell said.

Roberts-Smith took part in the bail hearing by video link from prison and spoke only when asked by the judge to confirm that he could see and hear proceedings.