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Taliban spokesman Zabihullah Mujahid (C) addresses a media convention on the airport in Kabul on August 31, 2021.
Wakil Kohsar | AFP | Getty Pictures
A U.S. delegation will meet with senior Taliban representatives in Doha on Saturday and Sunday of their first face-to-face assembly at a senior degree since Washington pulled its troops from Afghanistan and the hardline group took over the nation, two senior administration officers instructed Reuters.
The high-level U.S. delegation will embody officers from the State Division, USAID and the U.S. intelligence group, will press the Taliban to make sure continued secure passage for U.S. residents and others out of Afghanistan and to launch kidnapped U.S. citizen Mark Frerichs, the officers stated.
One other high precedence might be to carry the Taliban to its dedication that itโs going to not enable Afghanistan to once more turn out to be a hotbed for al Qaeda or different extremists whereas urgent the group to enhance entry for humanitarian support because the nation faces the prospect of a โactually extreme and possibly not possible to forestallโ financial contraction, U.S. officers stated.
U.S. Particular Consultant Zalmay Khalilzad, who has for years spearheaded U.S. dialogue with the Taliban and been a key determine in peace talks with the group, wonโt be a part of the delegation.
The U.S. workforce will embody the State Divisionโs Deputy Particular Consultant Tom West in addition to high USAID humanitarian official Sarah Charles. On The Taliban aspect, cupboard officers might be attending, officers stated.
โThis assembly is a continuation of the pragmatic engagements with the Taliban that we have had ongoing on issues of important nationwide curiosity,โ stated a senior administration official, talking on the situation of anonymity.
โThis assembly will not be about granting recognition or conferring legitimacy. We stay clear that any legitimacy should be earned by way of the Talibanโs personal actions. They should set up a sustained observe report,โ the official stated.
The USโ two-decades-long occupation of Afghanistan culminated in a swiftly organized airlift in August which noticed greater than 124,000 civilians together with People, Afghans and others being evacuated because the Taliban took over. However 1000โs of different U.S.-allied Afghans prone to Taliban persecution had been left behind.
Washington and different Western international locations are grappling with tough decisions as a extreme humanitarian disaster looms giant over Afghanistan. Theyโre making an attempt to formulate the best way to have interaction with the Taliban with out granting it the legitimacy it seeks whereas making certain humanitarian support flows into the nation.
Many Afghans have began promoting their possessions to pay for ever-scarcer meals.
The departure of U.S.-led forces and plenty of worldwide donors robbed the nation of grants that financed 75% of public spending, in accordance with the World Financial institution.
Whereas there was an enchancment for humanitarian actors get entry to some areas that they have not been in a decade, issues nonetheless continued, the U.S. official stated, including that the U.S. delegation would press Taliban to enhance.
โProper now, we face some actual entry pointsโฆ.There are quite a lot of challenges in making certain that feminine support staff are supplied unimpeded entry to all areas,โ the official stated and added that Washington wanted to see an enchancment by the Taliban on this entrance โif weโre to ponder much more sturdy humanitarian help.โ
Strain on girlsโs rights
Whereas the Taliban has promised to be extra inclusive than when it led the nation from 1996 to 2001, america has repeatedly stated it is going to decide the brand new Taliban authorities based mostly on its deeds not its phrases.
The Taliban drew from its inside excessive echelons to fill high posts in Afghanistanโs new provisional authorities introduced final month, together with an affiliate of the Islamist militant groupโs founder as premier and a wished man on a U.S. terrorism listing as inside minister. There have been no outsiders and no girls within the cupboard.
The European Union overseas coverage chief stated on Sunday its conduct thus far was โnot very encouraging.โ
โWe will definitely press the Taliban to respect the rights of all Afghans together with girls and women and to type an inclusive authorities with broad assist,โ the U.S. official stated.
He added that there have been discrepancies between the Talibanโs guarantees of continued secure passage and implementation.
โAs a sensible matter, their implementation of their commitments have been uneven. Itโs true that generally we obtain assurances from sure ranges however then observe by way of on these assurances has actually been uneven,โ the official stated.
The US has immediately facilitated the departure of 105 U.S. residents and 95 lawful everlasting residents out of Afghanistan since Aug. 31, when U.S. withdrawal was accomplished, State Division spokesperson Ned Worth stated on Thursday.
He declined to supply a exact determine for these remaining, however stated the company was involved with โdozens of People in Afghanistan who want to departโ however that the quantity was dynamic and continuously altering.