There is progress

Life returns to Kabul.

Car traffic, which really did not exist, has already returned to normal, and with it - traffic jams.

The streets are being cleaned, the flow of those wishing to escape abroad dies down.

Those who have already fled talk (some in Istanbul, some in the USA) about the reasons for their hasty departure, and it turns out that the hands of the current refugees are covered in the blood of their fellow citizens.

Those who reported on fellow villagers or served in firing squads understand that sooner or later they will be reckoned with by the relatives of the victims at their filing.

Another category of escaped is the lured recipients of grants.

They have connections in the West and interests there.

Now we are beginning to hear details about the 20 years of US rule in Afghanistan, which we have rarely heard of.

Young people left for the Taliban * in response to the terror of the American government, writes the Financial Times.

A young Taliban tells a British journalist how they came for his father at night, several years ago;

they were blindfolded, their hands were handcuffed, taken out of the house, and then they heard shots.

Now peace has finally arrived.

For the first time in many decades, there is no shooting or bombing in Afghanistan.

That is, not quite: on September 18, a few days ago, IS-Khorasan ** threw grenades at the Taliban headquarters in one of the districts of Kabul.

For IS-Khorasan, the Taliban are too soft, too moderate.

But compared to the usual level of hostilities, it has become much calmer, even American journalists say.

Politically, there were two important news. The Taliban have decided on the deputy ministers. Among them are Tajiks, Hazaras, and other minorities. This should answer the request for an "inclusive" government, so that there are more than just Pashtuns.

The second message is even more important. Finally, the "troika" - representatives of Russia, China and Pakistan - met with the new Prime Minister Mohammad Hasan Akhund and members of the new government. Russian Special Representative in Afghanistan Zamir Kabulov and Russian Ambassador Dmitry Zhirnov were at the meeting. And immediately after that, they met with the most prominent representatives of the "old regime" - with Abdullah Abdullah, head of the Committee for National Reconciliation, and with former President Hamid Karzai. That is, the diplomatic process has started, and it can lead to full recognition of the Taliban government. Russia will prefer to recognize the Taliban at the same time as other countries - members of the UN Security Council.

The supporters of reconciliation also have enemies. Now they are launching fake news with might and main, fiction about what is happening. The Deadline website has brought up a collection of such fictions. They are mainly produced by enemies of the Taliban - emigrants from Afghanistan and Iran, Indian nationalists and veterans of NATO troops, who have personal accounts. So, they are distributing a video - Pakistani troops are entering the Panjshir Valley. People are watching and are outraged by this aggression. But it turns out that this video is from a video game. Other actively disseminated photographs are of women in burqas and chains, allegedly from Kabul. But this "photoshopped" frame was already shown in 2003 - allegedly from Iran. Most of the fakes come from India - India fears a rapprochement between Afghanistan and China and Pakistan.

A huge number of fakes are spread by various interested parties.

They should be treated critically and not take on faith any material allegedly from Afghanistan, concludes Deadline.

The congress of the SCO - the Shanghai Cooperation Organization - has just passed, at which President Putin also spoke (remotely).

Russia supports the efforts of the SCO to establish relations with the Taliban.

Attempts by some forces to revive the Northern Coalition and divide Afghanistan did not receive Russian support and were, at least at this stage, rejected.

Russia believes that the United States should invest in the peaceful reconstruction of a country that it has bombed so hard for many years.

But the Pentagon is already saying that they will continue to bomb Afghanistan in the future.

This is seen as the main danger to the country - the unwillingness of the American military to abandon its compromised methods.

The situation is difficult, but there is reason to look at what is happening with moderate optimism.

As long as the Taliban cope, and life goes back to normal.

* "Taliban" - the organization was recognized as terrorist by the decision of the Supreme Court of the Russian Federation of February 14, 2003.

** "Islamic State" (IS, ISIL, "IG-Khorasan") - the organization was recognized as terrorist by the decision of the Supreme Court of the Russian Federation of December 29, 2014.

The point of view of the author may not coincide with the position of the editorial board.