Taliban Says U.S. Will Send Humanitarian Aid to Afghanistan After Talks in Qatar ‘Went Well’
Photo by HOSHANG HASHIMI/AFP via Getty Images
The Taliban said on Sunday that the U.S. will provide humanitarian aid to Afghanistan, while simultaneously refusing to recognize the legitimacy of the country’s new leadership.
According to CNBC, out of a population of 40 million, 14 million in Afghanistan are food insecure, and the U.N. estimates $200 million is needed to sustain its food programs through the end of the year.
The statement came following the first directs talks between the Taliban and U.S. since the withdrawal of American troops from Afghanistan at the end of August.
The talks in Doha, Qatar “went well,” the Taliban said.
A spokesperson for the Taliban, Suhail Shaheen, told the Associated Press that they assured the U.S. they would not allow the country to be used as a breeding ground for terrorism. The Taliban, however, definitively declined U.S. assistance with combating the Islamic State group, arguing that they “are able to tackle Daesh independently.”
State Department spokesperson Ned Price called the discussion “candid and professional” and emphasized the importance of human rights.
“The U.S. delegation focused on security and terrorism concerns and safe passage for U.S. citizens, other foreign nationals and our Afghan partners, as well as on human rights, including the meaningful participation of women and girls in all aspects of Afghan society,” Price said.
The U.S. previously indicated they would continue to provide assistance to Afghans, though not through the Taliban.
“The U.S. Treasury Department has issued specific licenses to allow U.S. government agencies, contractors, and grant recipients to continue to provide critical and lifesaving humanitarian aid to the people of Afghanistan, despite sanctions on the Taliban,” Secretary of State Antony Blinken said in a statement in September. “Consistent with our sanctions, this aid will not flow through the government, but rather through independent organizations.”
