A first since the withdrawal of American troops from the country. For two days, US delegation and senior Taliban officials to hold talks, announced the State Department this Friday, October 8. An announcement made the day after a suicide bombing that killed at least 55 people in a Shiite mosque in Kunduz, claimed by the Islamic State (IS) group.
The meeting is scheduled for Saturday, October 9 in Doha, Qatar, said a spokesperson for the State Department. “We will push for the Taliban respect the rights of all Afghans, including women and girls, and form an inclusive government with broad support, “said the spokesperson.” As Afghanistan faces the possibility of a severe economic recession and a humanitarian crisis, we will also push for the Taliban to grant free access to areas in difficulty for humanitarian agencies“, he added.
If the United States has maintained contacts with the new leaders of Afghanistan after taking Kabul in August, this will be the first meeting to be held in person.
No recognition of the Taliban regime in sight
During the announcement, the State Department was keen to be clear: this meeting does not mean in any case that the United States recognizes the Taliban regime in Afghanistan. “We continue to make it clear that all legitimacy must be earned through the actions of the Taliban,” the spokesperson said.
Priority of Joe Biden, the American representatives especially intend to insist on obtaining the departure from Afghanistan of American citizens and Afghans who aided the US military during 20 years of conflict. So far, Washington notes a cooperation of the Taliban to facilitate the departure of these American nationals. About a hundred are still in Afghanistan.
