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THE Taliban has ruled out co-operation with the United States to contain Isis in Afghanistan in their first face-to-face meeting since Western troops pulled out from the country.
According to officials, the talks held in Qatar’s capital Doha over the weekend focused on issues including containing extremist groups, the evacuation of US citizens and humanitarian aid.
The US insisted that the meeting does not amount to the recognition of the Taliban as Afghanistan’s rulers.
The Taliban signalled flexibility on evacuations, but political spokesman Suhail Shaheen said there would be no co-operation with Washington on containing the increasingly active Isis in Afghanistan.
Isis has taken responsibility for a number of recent attacks, including a suicide bombing on Friday that killed 46 minority Shi’ite Muslims and wounded dozens as they prayed in a mosque in the northern city of Kunduz.
The attack has been deemed the deadliest since Western forces withdrew.
Mr Shaheen said: “We are able to tackle Daesh (Isis) independently.”
It is also reported that Taliban-appointed Afghan Foreign Minister Ameer Khan Muttaqi said the Taliban has asked the US to lift its ban on the reserves of the Afghan central bank.
Mr Muttaqi said that the two sides have agreed to uphold the terms of the 2020 Doha agreement, which includes broad obligations on the Taliban to take steps to prevent groups such as al-Qaida from threatening the security of the US and its allies.
He added that US officials had also said they would help deliver Covid-19 vaccines and humanitarian aid.
There was no immediate statement from Washington on the talks.
A US State Department spokesperson previously said officials would use the meetings to press the Taliban to respect women’s rights, form an inclusive government and allow humanitarian agencies to operate.
The meeting continued after the Morning Star went to print.
Funeral ceremonies were held for the victims of Friday’s attack as the talks took place.
One mourner said: “[We] bury the bodies next to each other because we have no choice, and we have to prepare mass graves.”
On Saturday, the Taliban began transporting Afghans who had fled from the takeover in August and were living in tents in a Kabul park back to their homes in the country’s north, where threats from Isis are mounting.
