The day after the kamikaze attack on the Shiite mosque of Kunduz, which caused over 60 deaths and a hundred injured, the Taliban met a US delegation in Doha, for the first time since the American withdrawal from Kabul. And despite yet another attack – the third in a week on a religious building – they reject the hypothesis of military or intelligence collaboration against the Afghan branch of the Islamic State, which continues to bloody the country.
“We have clearly told” the United States “that trying to destabilize the government of Afghanistan is not good for anyone,” commented the Foreign Minister of Koranic students, Amir Khan Muttaqi, after the first day of meetings with American envoys. which will continue today. Talks which, according to the mullahs, have focused on “humanitarian aid and the implementation of the Doha agreement”. Among other things, the US has promised supplies of anti-Covid vaccines.
From the mullahs no concessions on human rights
Beyond the humanitarian emergency, however, the confrontation appears to be uphill. Starting with the fight against terrorism, a crucial issue for the international community, which on Tuesday will be at the center of the extraordinary G20 on Afghanistan chaired by Italy. “We are able to face Daesh (ISIS) autonomously”, assured the spokesman of the mullahs Suhail Shaheen, ambassador designate to the UN.
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No opening has even arrived on the rights of minorities. “We will press for the Taliban to respect the rights of all Afghans, including women and girls, and form an inclusive government with broad support,” a US State Department spokesman assured before the talks. Secca came the reply from Kabul: “What we ask is to have time. This process will take place gradually”, but “right now our priority is to stabilize the country after 40 years of war”, he explained in an interview with Al Jazeera the spokesman for the foreign ministry, Abdul Qahar Balkhi. “Right now we are looking for positive relations with the United States” and “we want diplomatic and economic involvement”, the spokesman added, but once again accusing Washington of “violating the territorial integrity of Afghanistan” and “of the commitments they have. hired with the Doha agreements “for the use of drones and airplanes in Afghan airspace.
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The talks in Qatar, the US reiterated, do not however precede the recognition of the Taliban government, which continues to have no female representatives. “We continue to say clearly that the legitimacy must be deserved by the Taliban with actions,” the US State Department stressed.
The dialogue with Kabul will continue. After this weekend’s talks, the mullahs have announced an upcoming meeting again in Doha with an EU delegation, while on 20 October they are expected in Moscow for a summit which will also be attended by China.
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