Qatar’s Foreign Minister Visits Afghan Capital, Holds Talks With Taliban

By Staff, Agencies

Qatar's foreign minister held talks in Afghanistan on Sunday, becoming the most senior official to visit the country since the Taliban's takeover on August 15.

A Taliban official tweeted that Sheikh Mohammad bin Abdulrahman Al-Thani met senior officials of the new Afghan regime, although details were not disclosed.

The group released pictures of Sheikh Mohammad meeting new Prime Minister Mullah Mohammad Hassan Akhund, while photographs of him with former president Hamid Karzai circulated on social media.

In Doha, the foreign ministry confirmed that the meetings were held with the new Afghan government as well as with Karzai and Abdullah Abdullah, former chief peace negotiator for the ousted government.

Sheikh Mohammad "urged the Afghan officials to engage all Afghan parties in the national reconciliation," it said.

The talks covered "latest developments regarding the operation of Kabul airport and ensuring freedom of passage and travel for all," it said in a statement.

Qatar has long acted as a mediator on Afghanistan, hosting the Taliban's talks with the United States under former president Donald Trump, and then with the now deposed Afghan government of President Ashraf Ghani.

It is also supporting tens of thousands of Afghans who were evacuated in the final weeks of the US-led occupation as they are processed before heading to other nations.