Status: 11.10.2021 4:00 a.m.
For the first time since the withdrawal of their troops from Afghanistan, representatives of the United States and the radical Islamic Taliban have met for personal talks. They were “open and professional”.
Representatives of the United States and the radical Islamic Taliban have spoken to each other personally for the first time since the United States withdrew from Afghanistan. As the US State Department spokesman, Ned Price, announced on Sunday, the talks on Saturday and Sunday in the Qatari capital Doha focused on “security and terrorism issues”. Further focal points were the human rights situation and the “participation of women and girls in all aspects of Afghan society”.
Talks about humanitarian aid
The two sides also discussed “the provision of robust US humanitarian aid that will directly benefit the Afghan people”. According to the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, the talks were “open and professional”. The diplomats, however, affirmed that “the Taliban will be judged by their actions, not just by their words.”
The Taliban came back to power in August around 20 years after the US and its allies invaded Afghanistan. Since then, the Islamists have endeavored to gain international recognition for their transitional government and to provide humanitarian aid to prevent a famine in the country that is dependent on foreign development funds.