WASHINGTON/AFP  According to the State Department, the US and the Taliban will conduct their first in-person discussions since the US departure from Afghanistan on Saturday.

According to a State Department spokeswoman, the US team will meet with top Taliban representatives in Doha, Qatar, on Saturday and Sunday.
Since the Taliban captured Kabul in August when US soldiers withdrew, the US has maintained communication with the Taliban, but this will be the first face-to-face encounter.

“We will push the Taliban to respect the rights of all Afghans, including women and girls, and to create a broad-based, inclusive government,” the spokesman said on Friday.

“As Afghanistan confronts a severe economic downturn and perhaps a humanitarian disaster,” he added, “we will also push the Taliban to allow humanitarian agencies unrestricted access to regions in need.”

The encounter did not imply that the US recognised Taliban control in Afghanistan, according to the State Department.

“We remain firm in our belief that any legitimacy must be earned by the Taliban via their own conduct,” the official stated.

The US team will also urge President Joe Biden on his top objective of allowing US nationals and Afghan allies to leave the country throughout the 20-year military mission.

The Taliban, according to the US, have generally cooperated in releasing US nationals. According to US sources, over 100 people remain, mostly US citizens with Afghan heritage who are uncertain about leaving.

However, the US admits that it was unable to evacuate the majority of Afghan allies who wanted to leave during a hurried airlift that evacuated tens of thousands of civilians from Kabul prior to the pullout.

A spokesman for the two parties did not say who would represent them. In August, senior US officials, including Central Command commander General Frank McKenzie, met with Taliban leaders in Kabul as US soldiers assumed control of the airport in preparation for the airlift.

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