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Qatari Prime Minister (PM) Mohammed bin Abdulrahman Al-Thani. Photo/REUTERS
KABUL – Qatari Prime Minister (PM) Mohammed bin Abdulrahman Al-Thani held secret talks with Taliban Supreme Leader Haibatullah Akhunzada this month to resolve tensions with the international community.
The news was disclosed by a source who briefed the meeting.
The move signals a renewed willingness by the Afghan rulers to discuss ways of ending their isolation, according to a Reuters report.
The May 12, 2023 meeting in the southern Afghan city of Kandahar between Qatari Prime Minister Mohammed bin Abdulrahman Al-Thani and Haibatullah Akhunzada was the first known meeting a Taliban leader has had with a foreign leader.
“The administration of United States (US) President Joe Biden was briefed on the talks and coordinated on all issues discussed by the two, including continuing dialogue with the Taliban,” the source said.
The source, who spoke on condition of anonymity, said other issues Sheikh Mohammed raised with Haibatullah included the need to end the Taliban’s ban on girls’ education and women’s work.
The meeting was a diplomatic success for Qatar, which has criticized the Taliban’s restrictions on women.
Qatar is using its long-standing ties to the Islamic movement to push for deeper engagement between Kabul and the international community.
The United States has led calls for the Taliban to end the ban on school girls and working women, including for UN agencies and humanitarian groups.
