Doha: US Secretary of State Antony Blinken arrived in Doha on Monday for crisis talks with Qatar after the Taliban claimed to have full control over Afghanistan.
Shortly before landing, an official revealed that four Americans had left Afghanistan with the knowledge of the Taliban, on the first departure regulated by Washington since his chaotic military withdrawal.
The four US citizens left by the land and were welcomed by US diplomats, said senior officials, without determining which countries they crossed, added that “the Taliban did not prevent them”.
Blinken, accompanied by Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin, is the most senior US official to visit this area since the Taliban lightning took over from Afghanistan on August 15.
He would not meet with the Representative of Doha Taliban but Dean Dean Thompson said Washington would continue to be involved with the Islamist group “to ensure our message with them clearly”.
“We thank you for Qatar’s close collaboration in Afghanistan,” said the Department of Foreign Affairs ahead of the arrival of Blinken in Doha at 1500 GMT, seen by AFP correspondents.
The Blinken team praised “very necessary support in facilitating the transit of US citizens, the personnel of the Kabul Embassy, at risk of Afghanistan, and other Evakares from Afghanistan through Qatar”.
Qatar, who holds a large US airbase, has become a gateway for 55,000 people flown from Afghanistan, almost half of the total evacuated by US LED forces after the Taliban lightning takeover.
Before his arrival, Blinken said that in Qatar he would “express our deep gratitude for everything they did to support evacuation efforts” and meet saving Afghane residents.
He will also meet US diplomats, after Washington slumped his embassy in Kabul to Doha, along with a number of allies including England and the Netherlands.
The State Department said Blinken would discuss with Qatar his efforts, with Turkey, to reopen Ramshackle Kabul airport – important to fly with humanitarian assistance that is needed and to evacuate the remaining Afghanistan.
Qatar invited the Taliban to open a political office in Doha in 2013, then held talks between Washington and Taliban which concluded in 2020 with a troop withdrawal agreement.
It was followed by direct negotiations between former guerrillas and the Afghan government.
Taliban on Monday claimed total control over Afghanistan, said they had won the main battle for the Panjshir Valley, the remaining detention of the last resistance to their rules.
This group has not finished his new regime after rolling into the capital Kabul three weeks ago with the speed he said analyst might even surprise him.
After Doha, Blinken will go to Wednesday to the US air base in Ramstein in Germany, a temporary house for thousands of Afghans who moved to the United States.
US officials said some Americans may have left Afghanistan since the United States ended the 20-year war at the end of August but they would do it in a private way.
Washington observed carefully whether the Taliban managed to promise to let us residents and allies depart when deciding on how to deal with Islamists.
US officials said more than 100 Americans were, most of the double citizens, remained in Afghanistan after a large airlift tens of thousands of people in the last days of the world’s longest war.
President Joe Biden’s Republic rival has quickly accused him of leaving Americans.
But tens of thousands of translators or other people who support the US mission and their family members are believed to be fixed, with a lot of fearful levies even though the Taliban guarantee.
With Kabul airport in chaos, the route is the main road from Afghanistan, especially even though Pakistan or Iran, which does not have diplomatic relations with Washington.
While in Ramstein, Blinken will hold a meeting of the 20-virtual nation for the crisis with German Foreign Minister Heiko Maas.
Blinken in Doha for the Afghan crisis talking to Qatar
