A U.S. delegation will meet with senior Taliban officials on Saturday and Sunday in Qatar’s capital, Doha, a State Department spokesman told AFP.
“We want to push the Taliban to respect the rights of all Afghans, including women and girls, and to form an inclusive government with broad support,” the spokesman said.
It further states that the United States will also ask the Taliban to open up for humanitarian aid “while Afghanistan is facing a possible dramatic economic downturn and a possible humanitarian crisis”.
They will also talk about the evacuation of citizens and allies who have remained in Afghanistan.
In August this year, Western forces withdrew from Afghanistan. The Western-backed Afghan regime collapsed, and the Taliban regained power in the country, 20 years after the US invasion.
The State Department emphasizes that the meeting does not mean that the United States recognizes the Taliban as its leaders.
“We are still clear that legitimacy must be given on the basis of the Taliban’s actions,” it said.
It is unclear who will represent the two parties. General Frank McKenzie, head of the US Central Command, was among those who met with the Taliban in connection with the evacuation.
US Special Representative Zalmay Khalilzad, who has previously been a key figure in dialogue with the Taliban, will not be part of the delegation, writes the news agency Reuters.
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