Turkmenistan agreed Nov. 27 to supply the Taliban, the Islamic movement controlling most of Afghanistan, with electricity and gas. Turkmenistan is only the fourth country worldwide to recognize the Taliban and the second country in the region to do so after Pakistan. Other nations, most notably Russia, still support Afghanistan's opposition Northern Alliance, led by Ahmed Shah Massood and ousted Afghan president Burhanuddin Rabbani. Turkmenistan's government hopes to use Afghanistan as an export route for its large deposits of natural gas. Until recently, Russia was the only viable route for this export, but Ashgabat wants economic independence from Moscow. If Turkmenistan opens friendly relations with the Taliban, which controls more than 90 percent of Afghanistan, then it has the first shot at exporting gas south through Afghanistan and Pakistan when peace is declared. Turkmenistan took a risk in openly supporting the Taliban.