Taliban leaders have called for the release of billions of dollars in US aid to Afghanistan after two days of talks in Doha. They also called for the leaders of the group not to be blacklisted and for the sanctions imposed on them to be lifted. News AFP.
The meeting was attended by Taliban Foreign Minister Amir Khan Muttaki and US Special Envoy to Afghanistan Tom West. This is the second meeting between the two sides in Qatar since the withdrawal of US troops from Afghanistan.
Afghan Foreign Ministry spokesman Abdul Qahar Balkhi tweeted that the two delegations discussed political, economic, humanitarian, health, education and security issues, as well as the provision of necessary banking and cash facilities. The Afghan delegation assured the US side of security and called for the unconditional release of the money deposited in Afghanistan.
Washington has seized assets worth about 9.5 billion from the Afghan central bank.
In addition, the International Monetary Fund (IMF) and the World Bank have suspended operations in Afghanistan. Under such circumstances, the economy of war-torn Afghanistan is on the verge of collapse. Many government workers are not getting paid. The United Nations has warned that nearly half of the country’s population, or 22 million people, will face a severe food crisis in the winter.
Taliban leader Mollah Hassan Akhund is one of the leaders the United States has imposed sanctions on.
The Taliban has described the Doha talks as “positive.” In Doha, Muttaki also held talks with the ambassadors of Japan and Germany.
