Meeting in Qatar: US announces talks with Taliban

The US has announced talks with the Taliban in Qatar this weekend. According to the US State Department, the talks should not be understood as recognition of Taliban rule.

The US has announced the first face-to-face talks with the radical Islamic Taliban since the US withdrawal from Afghanistan. As a spokesman for the US State Department said in the evening, a US delegation will meet with high-ranking Taliban representatives on Saturday and Sunday in the Qatari capital Doha.

However, the State Department stressed that the meeting did not mean that the US would recognize Taliban rule in Afghanistan. “We still believe that the Taliban must earn their legitimacy through their own actions,” said the spokesman. It is so far unclear who will represent the two sides.

USA wants to push for humanitarian aid

“We will urge 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. With Afghanistan facing a severe economic downturn and “possible humanitarian crisis,” “we will also urge the Taliban to give humanitarian organizations free access to areas in need,” he said. The US also wants to work to ensure that the Taliban guarantee the exit of US citizens and former local staff.

After the withdrawal of NATO troops, the Taliban took power in Afghanistan in mid-August and have been fighting for international recognition of their government ever since. The USA has been in contact with the Taliban since the subsequent evacuation operation. At that time, the head of the US Armed Forces Central Command, General Frank McKenzie, met with Taliban officials when US troops took control of Kabul airport to organize a major airlift.

According to the USA, the Taliban have so far largely cooperated in the departure of US citizens. However, the US government admitted that it was unable to get most of the Afghan local workers willing to leave the country with the hasty airlift.