US and Taliban to meet for first time since US troop withdrawal from Afghanistan

US and Taliban officials will meet this weekend in Qatar for the first time since the last US military forces left Afghanistan in late August, reports said on Friday.

Talks on Saturday and Sunday in the Qatari capital of Doha will focus on the removal of all US citizens, green card holders and Afghan allies who have applied for or hold special visas allowing them to enter the United States, reported Reuters.

Doha-based Taliban spokesman Suhail Shaheen told The Associated Press the meetings will also include discussions on the 2020 deal between the Islamic fundamentalist and Washington which paved the way for the states’ final withdrawal. -United.

“Yes, there is a meeting. . . on bilateral relations and the implementation of the Doha agreement, ”Shaheen said. “It covers various topics.

US officials will seek to hold the Taliban accountable for their pledge to allow foreign nationals and Afghans who assisted US-led military forces to leave Afghanistan, the PA reported.

The Biden administration acknowledged that dozens of Americans and lawful permanent residents were left behind after the withdrawal was concluded on August 30. Thousands of Afghan allies are also believed to remain in hostile territory, although the administration has not provided an exact tally.

State Department spokesman Ned Price said Thursday that 105 US citizens and 95 green card holders had left since late August on flights facilitated by the US government. This number had not changed for over a week.

Military veterans and others have helped others leave the country on charter flights, and some have crossed land borders. Price acknowledged Thursday that the State Department was in contact with “dozens of Americans in Afghanistan who wish to leave.”

U.S. officials cited the difficulty of checking flight manifests without any U.S. officials on the ground in Afghanistan to help, as well as other delays, in response to complaints from lawmakers on both sides that the evacuation process is going too far. slowly.

The US delegation, which is said to include officials from the State Department, the US Agency for International Development (USAID) and the intelligence community, will also pressure the Taliban to release the civil engineer from the United States. ‘Illinois Mark Frerichs, who was kidnapped in February 2020 by the Taliban. Haqqani network linked.

The US contingent further intends to implore the Taliban to honor the rights of women and girls – many of whom are prevented from returning to work and classrooms – as well as to give aid agencies free access. to areas of Afghanistan requiring intervention.

Officials stressed that the meeting did not indicate that Washington was inclined to recognize the Taliban as the legitimate government of Afghanistan.

“We remain clear that all legitimacy must be earned by the Taliban’s own actions,” a US official told Reuters. “They need to establish a sustained record. “

With post wires