US establishes 'frank and professional' talks with Taliban

Since the Taliban came to power on 15 August, a debate has raged within the international community over recognition of the new regime. On the one hand, there are countries willing to formalise relations with the Islamist movement in order to take advantage of the country's natural resources or gain influence in the region. On the other hand, other countries and international organisations such as the United Nations have pointed out the importance of dialogue with the Taliban in order to avoid a humanitarian crisis.

The US, a key player in the Afghan issue due to its 20 years of presence in the country, has held the first talks with the Taliban since they took over Kabul. However, this is not the first time a US delegation has met with the Taliban. Negotiations with the insurgents began during the Obama administration, culminating in the Doha Agreement signed during the Trump administration.

This dialogue, which took place in Doha over the weekend, was "frank and professional", according to State Department spokesman Ned Price. The US delegation reiterated that the Taliban will be judged by their actions, not just their words," Price added

In terms of the issues that the two sides discussed during the meeting, the key issues for the US were security and terrorism. It also focused on "safe passage for US citizens, other foreign nationals, and Afghans, as well as human rights, including the meaningful participation of women and girls in all aspects of Afghan society," the State Department said.

"The two sides also discussed the provision of robust US humanitarian assistance directly to the Afghan people," it added.

On the other hand, the Taliban called on Washington to suspend economic sanctions. International recognition was also a key issue on the Taliban delegation's agenda. "They hope this will pave the way for recognition of the Afghan government, not only by the US but also by the international community," reported Natasha Ghoneim, an Al Jazeera journalist in Doha. 

However, a State Department official told CNN, the meeting with Taliban representatives "is not about granting recognition or conferring legitimacy". As the official told the US media outlet, "any legitimacy must be earned through the Taliban's own actions". Rather, this meeting was "a continuation of pragmatic engagement with the Taliban on issues of vital US national interest".

Suhail Shaheen, Afghanistan's ambassador-designate to the UN, viewed the first dialogue with Washington as positive. "Political issues were discussed in detail during the meeting and the Islamic Emirate considered the full implementation of the Doha Agreement as the best way to resolve problems," he said. He reiterated that "humanitarian assistance should not be linked to political issues".

Taliban spokesman Zabihullah Mujahid said that during the meeting "humanitarian assistance was discussed". Mujahid also assured that "these negotiations will continue".

In addition to the humanitarian crisis, the serious violations of the rights of women and minorities such as the Hazaras, there is also the terrorist threat that is sweeping the country. After the double attack on Kabul airport that left more than 180 people dead at the end of August, the IS-K (Islamic State of Greater Khorasan) has once again sown chaos in Afghanistan. Last Friday, Daesh attacked a Shia Mosque in the northeastern city of Kunduz, claiming the lives of more than 120 people.

In this regard, Shaheen reported that the Afghan foreign minister assured the US delegation that the "Taliban are committed to ensuring that extremists do not use Afghan soil to launch attacks against other countries", according to the Associated Press. Still, they ruled out cooperation to fight IS-K. "We can deal with Daesh independently," he said.