US Officials Meeting Taliban Does Not Indicate Change in US Policy, Says State Department

Vedant Patel, the US Department of State Deputy Spokesperson, said that the US Special Representative’s meeting with the Taliban in Doha doesn’t indicate any change in the policy of Washington.

On Wednesday, Patel stressed that Washington will engage with the Taliban appropriately when it is in the country’s interest.

Patel said that the US officials in charge of Afghanistan affairs will meet with the Taliban in Doha and these meetings are not indications of normalisation or legitimacy of the Taliban.

The Deputy Spokesperson of the US State Department said, “Egregious human rights abuses that the Taliban is undertaking, their marginalisation of Afghan women and girls – all of those things and many others continue to be of immense concern to the United States.”

The US State Department announced on Wednesday that US officials will meet with Taliban representatives and " experts" from the group's key ministries in Doha this week.

According to the US Department of State, the two sides will discuss security, drugs, and women's rights in Afghanistan.

Earlier, sources told Afghanistan International that Amir Khan Muttaqi, the foreign minister of the Taliban, will visit Doha, Qatar to meet with the American delegation.