ADVERTISEMENT

Indian Envoy in Qatar Met Taliban Leader to Discuss Security

India’s ambassador in Qatar met with the deputy head of the Taliban’s political office to discuss regional security.

Indian Envoy in Qatar Met Taliban Leader to Discuss Security
A resident stands under an Afghan flag flying on a hill top in Kabul. (Photographer: Victor J. Blue/Bloomberg)

India’s ambassador in Qatar met with the deputy head of the Taliban’s political office to discuss regional security, India’s foreign ministry said in a statement.

The meeting was at the request of the Taliban and was the first between officials from both sides since the Taliban took control of Afghanistan on Aug. 15. 

The Indian ambassador to Qatar, Depak Mittal, discussed “safety, security and early return of Indian nationals stranded in Afghanistan” with Taliban leader Sher Mohammad Abbas Stanekzai. 

“Ambassador Mittal raised India’s concern that Afghanistan’s soil should not be used for anti-Indian activities and terrorism in any manner,” the foreign ministry said. 

©2021 Bloomberg L.P.