WASHINGTON: The United States and the Taliban will hold their direct talks since the US withdrawal from Afghanistan starting on Saturday, the State Department said.
The US delegation will meet Saturday and Sunday at Qatar Capital Doha with a Senior Taliban representative, a Foreign Ministry spokesman said.
The United States remains in touch with the Taliban since the old enemy captured Kabul in August because US forces came out but the meeting would be the first.
“We will suppress the Taliban to respect the rights of all Afghans, including women and women, and to form an inclusive government with extensive support,” said the spokesman on Friday.
“When Afghanistan faces the prospect of severe economic contraction and the possibility of a humanitarian crisis, we will also suppress the Taliban to enable free humanitarian institutions access to the fields needed,” he said.
The State Department emphasized that the meeting did not show that the United States recognized the Taliban government in Afghanistan.
“We remain clear that any legitimacy must be obtained through the acts of Taliban himself,” said the spokesman.
The US team will also reduce President Joe Biden’s top priority to let us citizens and allies of Afghanistan during the 20-year-old military operation leaving the country.
The United States said that the Taliban mostly worked together to release US citizens.
About 100 permanent, most US citizens with roots in Afghanistan are hesitant to leave, according to US officials.
But the United States acknowledged that it could not get out of most Afghan allies who wanted to go during airlift in a hurry that pulled tens of thousands of people from Kabul before withdrawal.
A spokesman did not determine who would represent both parties.
Senior US officials including Head of General Command General Frank McKenzie met with the Taliban in Kabul in August because US forces took over the airport for airlift.