Taliban, North Korean military delegations meet at Russia-hosted drills
In short
Afghanistan’s defense ministry said a Taliban delegation led by Mawlawi Nasibullah Madani took part in Russia-hosted joint military drills called Center-2026 in the Chelyabinsk region and held talks with North Korean military representatives. Russia’s defense ministry said North Korea was one of 33 countries that sent observer delegations to the exercise. Russia is the only country to have officially recognized the Taliban government; North Korea has not.
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Afghanistan’s defense ministry said in an Oct. 3 statement that a senior defense delegation took part in Russia-hosted joint military drills called Center-2026, Yonhap and Kyunghyang Shinmun reported. The Taliban delegation to the exercise, held from late last month in Russia’s Chelyabinsk region and elsewhere, was led by Mawlawi Nasibullah Madani, commander of the Abdullah bin Masoud Joint Combat Training Command, and attended at Russia’s invitation, according to the Afghan ministry. Kyunghyang reported that the exercise ran until Oct. 3. [ 1 , 2 ]
At the drills, the Taliban delegation met North Korean military personnel and held talks with military delegations from North Korea, China, India, Vietnam, Colombia, Uzbekistan and Tajikistan, the Afghan defense ministry said. Kyunghyang, citing the Afghan ministry, named the North Korean counterpart as military attaché Ro Gi-chol. The ministry said the talks covered bilateral relations, the sharing of military experience, training and professional education, and ways to cooperate jointly. [ 1 , 2 ]
Russia’s defense ministry said North Korea was among 33 countries that sent observer delegations to the strategic command exercise, according to Kyunghyang, which cited NK News. The report said this was not North Korea’s first such role, noting that it also attended the Ocean-2024 exercise in 2024, and that North Korea is currently supplying troops and missiles to Russia for the war in Ukraine. [ 2 ]
The delegation also toured an exhibition of military equipment that included heavy weapons, unmanned aerial vehicles, long-range missiles and robotic systems, the Afghan defense ministry said. [ 1 , 2 ]
Afghanistan has been deepening military cooperation with Russia, signing a military-technical agreement with Moscow in May; the Taliban government said at the time that much of Afghanistan’s military equipment, including helicopters, is Russian-made and needs maintenance. The Taliban administration, facing international isolation and sanctions since returning to power in 2021, has sought closer ties with Russia, which in July last year became the first country to officially recognize the Taliban government. [ 1 ]
Kyunghyang reported that North Korea cut ties with the Taliban-run Afghan government after the 1989 Soviet withdrawal from Afghanistan and has not recognized the Taliban government, while Russia has. Yonhap said North Korea’s alignment with Russia over the Ukraine war raises the possibility of cooperation between the Taliban government and Pyongyang with Russia as an intermediary. [ 1 , 2 ]
Why it matters
The exchange puts the Taliban government, which faces international isolation and sanctions, in the same setting as North Korea, another sanctioned state, at a Russian-hosted event. Yonhap said the contact raises the possibility of Russia-mediated cooperation between the two. No practical outcome is known: the documents describe discussions, not agreements.
Key facts
- Afghanistan’s defense ministry said a delegation led by Mawlawi Nasibullah Madani, commander of the Abdullah bin Masoud Joint Combat Training Command, took part in the Russia-hosted Center-2026 drills in the Chelyabinsk region. [ 1 , 2 ]
- The Taliban delegation held talks with North Korean military representatives at the drills. [ 1 , 2 , 3 ]
- The Afghan defense ministry said the meetings covered bilateral relations, the sharing of military experience, training and professional education, and joint cooperation. [ 1 , 2 ]
- The delegation visited an exhibition that included heavy weapons, unmanned aerial vehicles, long-range missiles and robotic systems. [ 1 , 2 ]
- Russia’s defense ministry said North Korea was among 33 countries that sent observer delegations to the exercise. [ 2 ]
- Kyunghyang Shinmun, citing the Afghan defense ministry, named the North Korean counterpart as military attaché Ro Gi-chol. [ 2 ]
- North Korea has not recognized the Taliban government, and Kyunghyang reported it cut ties with the Taliban-run Afghan administration after the 1989 Soviet withdrawal. [ 2 ]
Confirmed by several sources
- Afghanistan’s defense ministry said a high-level delegation led by Mawlawi Nasibullah Madani attended the Russia-hosted Center-2026 drills in the Chelyabinsk region. [ 1 , 2 ]
- The Taliban delegation met and held talks with North Korean military representatives at the drills. [ 1 , 2 , 3 ]
- The Afghan defense ministry said the talks covered bilateral relations, sharing military experience, training and professional education. [ 1 , 2 ]
- The delegation visited an exhibition of military equipment including heavy weapons, UAVs, long-range missiles and robotic systems. [ 1 , 2 ]
Still unclear
- Whether the contact produced any agreement or follow-up between the Taliban government and North Korea. Both reports describe meetings and topics discussed, but neither says an agreement was reached or announced.
- The identity of the North Korean representative at the meeting. Only Kyunghyang Shinmun, citing the Afghan defense ministry, names military attaché Ro Gi-chol; Yonhap identifies no North Korean official.
- The current state of relations between the Taliban government and North Korea. Yonhap raises the possibility of future Russia-mediated cooperation, while Kyunghyang reports North Korea severed ties with the Taliban-run Afghan government after 1989 and has not recognized it; the documents do not say whether any direct contact preceded the drills.
- Russia’s defense ministry said North Korea was one of 33 countries that sent observer delegations to the strategic command exercise, which ran in the Chelyabinsk region until Oct. 3. Reported by a single source so far
What local media are saying
Timeline, local time
- Yonhap publishes its report, citing EFE and an Oct. 3 Afghan defense ministry statement that a high-level delegation attended the Russia-hosted Center-2026 drills. [ 1 ]
- Kyunghyang Shinmun reports, citing NK News and the Russian defense ministry, that North Korea was among 33 observer countries and names the North Korean military attaché who met the Taliban delegation. [ 2 ]
- Newsis carries the meeting between the North Korean military and the Afghan Taliban at the Russia-hosted drills in a headline report. [ 3 ]