U.K. Holds Official Talks With Taliban Government for First Time
The U.K. sent officials to Afghanistan to hold talks with Taliban leaders.
(Bloomberg) -- The U.K. sent officials to Afghanistan to hold talks with Taliban leaders for the first time since the mass evacuation of Kabul in August.
The officials discussed Tuesday how the U.K. could help Afghanistan address a humanitarian crisis, the importance of preventing the country from becoming an incubator for terrorism, and the need for continued safe passage for those who want to flee, a spokesperson for the U.K. said in an email.
Officials also raised the treatment of minorities and the rights of women and girls, the spokesman said.
British officials included Prime Minister Boris Johnson’s High Representative for Afghan Transition, Simon Gass, and Chargé d’Affaires of the U.K. Mission to Afghanistan in Doha, Martin Longden.
They met senior Taliban commanders including Mawlawi Amir Khan Muttaqi, Mullah Abdul Ghani Baradar Akhund and Mawlawi Abdul-Salam Hanafi.
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