Western nations are quietly aligning with United Nations efforts to reintegrate the Taliban into the global community under the guise of counterterrorism, according to a report by French newspaper Le Monde.
The report, published this week, reveals that several Western countries have been establishing discreet communication channels with the Taliban, marking a shift from their earlier positions.
Le Monde notes that since early 2025, European and Scandinavian nations have resumed diplomatic engagement with Taliban officials. These interactions, kept low-profile, are presented as efforts to bolster counterterrorism and maintain regional influence. The report suggests that political realism has overtaken human rights concerns, particularly regarding women’s rights and education access, in Western approaches to Afghanistan.
According to the paper, surveillance footage from late 2024 showed foreign diplomatic convoys departing Kabul airport, hinting at CIA meetings with Taliban intelligence and political leaders—the first such encounters on Afghan soil since the Taliban’s return to power. For the few Western diplomats in Kabul, this signals a new phase in relations with the hardline regime.
The Taliban has framed the release of American prisoners as a gesture of “goodwill,” with its Ministry of Foreign Affairs expressing a desire for genuine engagement with the United States and others based on mutual interests. In a meeting with Adam Boehler, the US Special Presidential Envoy for Hostage Affairs, Taliban Foreign Minister Amir Khan Muttaqi stressed moving beyond the 20-year war to build political and economic ties.
Following these talks, the United States lifted sanctions on three senior Taliban figures: Interior Minister Sirajuddin Haqqani, Abdul Aziz Haqqani, and Yahya Haqqani. Le Monde also reports frequent visits to Kabul by British diplomat Robert Dickson and German diplomat Rolf Dieter Reinhardt, both based in Doha, alongside Danish and Dutch counterparts. While a French diplomat from Qatar has visited Afghanistan once, French intelligence maintains a steady presence, though France and Canada resist normalising ties.
The report speculates that Western governments are unofficially supporting a more moderate Taliban faction, led by the Haqqani Network under Sirajuddin Haqqani, which favours pragmatism. This contrasts with the strict policies of Taliban leader Hibatullah Akhundzada. Despite internal divisions, Le Monde concludes that Taliban unity remains paramount, upheld even by the Haqqanis, ensuring their ongoing control.
