Taliban chief meets with Qatari PM in Kandahar for talks: Reuters

By Al Mayadeen English
Source: Agencies
31 May 2023 22:28

The news site says this is the first time on record of the leader of the Taliban meeting with a foreign leader.

Mullah Abdul Ghani Baradar, the Taliban's deputy leader and negotiator, and other delegation members attend the Afghan peace conference in Moscow, Russia, March 18, 2021 (Reuters)

Qatari Prime Minister held a secret meeting with the Taliban chief in early May to discuss Afghanistan's issues with the international community and ways to resolve them, Reuters reported on Wednesday, citing a source informed on the matter.

The talks took place in the city of Kandahar on May 12 between Qatari Prime Minister Mohammed bin Abdulrahman Al Thani and Haibatullah Akhunzada, marking the first publicly known meeting between the head of the Taliban and a foreign leader.

According to the report, the White House was briefed on the discussions and is "coordinating on all issues discussed" by the two, including pushing for more dialogue with the Taliban, the source said.

The two parties also discussed women's rights issues in Afghanistan, after the ruling group banned girls from receiving higher education and also working - including for the UN and NGOs - among other stuff.

According to the news site, the source's remarks imply that Washington supported increased communication with the Taliban, in comparison with previous low contact levels, which could lead to breakthroughs on many obstacles concerning the group's relations with the world.

Haibatullah's meeting with the Prime Minister also suggests his willingness to explore options to end Kabul's isolation on the world stage to boost relief programs for the impoverished country.

"It was a very positive meeting," the source said, according to Reuters. The Taliban leader was "very interested" in proceeding in dialogue with the international community.

The Taliban's return to power in Afghanistan on August 15, 2021, after the US withdrew from the country following around a decade of occupying it, was followed by a halt in foreign financial support and has left the war-torn country in an economic, humanitarian, and human rights crisis.

Later, US President Joe Biden stated that he would have the $7 billion in illegally frozen funds split between Afghan humanitarian aid and what he called American victims of "terrorism", including 9/11 families.