Qatari PM holds secret talks with ‘reclusive’ Taliban chief: Report

ByNews Desk- The Cradle 

This was reportedly the Taliban supreme leader’s first meeting with a foreign official

The prime minister of Qatar, Mohammed bin Abdulrahman Al-Thani, held secret talks with the Taliban’s supreme leader, Haibatullah Akhunzada, during the month of May in order to discuss alleviating the tension between the Afghan government and the international community, a source familiar with the meeting told Reuters on 31 May.

The talks signify “a new willingness by Afghanistan’s rulers to discuss ways to end their isolation,” Reuters writes.

The meeting took place on 12 May in Afghanistan’s southern city of Kandahar.

It is reportedly the first time the “reclusive” Taliban leader holds a meeting with a foreign official.

The anonymous source told Reuters that the government of US President Joe Biden was informed of the meeting and is “coordinating on all issues discussed,” including “furthering dialogue with the Taliban.”

It added that among the topics discussed, the Qatari prime minister raised the issue of the Taliban’s ban on female employment and education, which Al-Thani stressed “the need to end.”

The report describes this meeting as a “diplomatic success for Qatar,” given that it has continued to condemn the Taliban restrictions on women and girls while also pushing for “deeper engagement with Kabul by the international community.”

Several other countries, including Russia and Iran, have repeatedly condemned the Taliban’s restrictive measures and lack of inclusivity in government, and have failed to formally recognize them as a result. Tension with Iran particularly has risen as a result of an ongoing water dispute and intense border clashes between Taliban troops and Iranian border guards.

However, Iran and Russia have continued to condemn Washington’s continued economic blockade on Afghanistan, a leading cause of the severe humanitarian crisis which Afghans are facing.

Moreover, they have continued to push – as has Qatar – for engagement with the Islamic Emirate of Afghanistan (IEA) in order to alleviate some of the severe humanitarian concerns, which include poverty and serious food insecurity.

“The source’s comments suggested that Washington supported elevating what have been unproductive lower-level talks in the hope of a breakthrough,” Reuters writes.

The White House has declined to comment on the matter, while the State Department, the Qatari embassy in the US, and the Taliban have not responded to requests for comment.