Qatar Foreign Minister meets Taliban leaders in Kabul, discusses ties, humanitarian aid

Qatar Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Mohammed bin Abdulrahman bin Jassim Al Thani met Taliban leaders, including the acting prime minister of the restored Islamic Emirate of Afghanistan, Mullah Mohammad Hassan Akhund, in Kabul on 12 September.

The Qatar delegation also met former Afghanistan president Hamid Karzai and Abdullah Abdullah, the previous Afghan government’s chief negotiator in peace talks with the Taliban.

Taliban thanks Qatar for 'supporting Afghan people'

Taliban spokesperson Suhail Shaheen confirmed Al Thani's meeting with the interim government on social media. In his tweet, he mentioned that the leadership of the Islamic Emirate thanked the government of Qatar for supporting the Afghan people in their critical time. He informed that the Al Thani congratulated the Islamic Emirate of Afghanistan leadership and all the Afghan people on the victory.

News agency ANI reported that the two sides discussed bilateral ties and humanitarian assistance, Afghanistan's future economic development and international engagement with the Islamic Emirate of Afghanistan in the meeting.  

Notably, Qatar has played a significant role in Afghanistan since the Taliban re-conquered the country. The Qatar Airways chartered flight became the first international airline that started operating international flights out of Kabul's Hamid Karzai International airport after the United States completed the evacuation operation. The USA, too, has lauded the efforts of Qatar in facilitating operations at the Kabul Airport. According to The Associated Press, Qatar along with Turkey also assisted in restarting the Kabul airport after the departure of US troops. The Taliban has also maintained a political office in Doha since 2013. 

Last week, the Taliban announced the government of the Islamic Emirate of Afghanistan. The government is led by Mullah Mohammad Hasan Akhund, the head of the Taliban's powerful decision-making body 'Rehbari Shura'. Taliban co-founder Mullah Abdul Ghani Baradar has been announced his deputy.

On 15 August, the Taliban captured the national capital, Kabul, after capturing other provinces of the war-ravaged nation. On Sunday, several government officials and legislators, including the country's former President Ashraf Ghani, fled the country. It is worth noting that the Taliban re-conquered Afghanistan before the complete withdrawal of US troops on 31 August.

(With inputs from ANI and AP, Image: AP)