Following The Killing Of Ayman Al-Zawahiri, US Officials Meet With Taliban Leaders For The First Time
On Saturday, top US officials meet with the Talibanfor the first time since the US murdered al Qaeda chief Ayman al-Zawahiri in his residence in Kabul in late July.
According to CNN, the Taliban sent a delegation led by their head of intelligence, Abdul Haq Wasiq, to the Qatari capital of Doha for talks with a delegation from the Biden administration. The Biden administration also sent the deputy director of the CIA and the person in charge of Afghanistan to the State Department.
U.S. officials said that the Taliban's decision to keep protecting Zawahiri after he was killed in a strike was a "clear and blatant violation" of the Doha agreement. The Trump administration had negotiated the agreement, which said that in exchange for the U.S. leaving Afghanistan, the Taliban would not give safe haven to terrorists.
Saturday's meeting between CIA Deputy Director David Cohen and Taliban representative Wasiq suggests a focus on counterterrorism efforts. Last month, the White House described efforts to collaborate with the Taliban to fight terrorism as "a work in progress."
US And Taliban Relations After Zawahiri's Killing
The U.S. government's top target, Zawahiri, was killed in July while sitting on the balcony of his safe home in Kabul, Afghanistan. According to reports, the 71-year-old Egyptian who was Osama bin Laden's 9/11 deputy and potential successor was hiding out in the affluent Sherpur area in central Kabul. While Zawahiri's family was inside, the CIA fired two Hellfire missiles at the balcony.
After hearing of Zawahiri's arrival in Kabul, it became clear that the Taliban were eager to foster conditions that would allow terrorist organizations to reorganize and strengthen their numbers. If Zawahiri were in Afghanistan without authorization from the Taliban, it is exceedingly doubtful that he would feel comfortable enough to show his face in the country's biggest city.
Officials with the Taliban condemned the July attack, which occurred only weeks before the anniversary of the U.S. military's exit from the nation, as a breach of the pullout agreement and refuted allegations that they were giving Zawahiri a safe haven. However, sources in the Biden administration have said that top Taliban commanders were aware of his presence in Afghanistan.
Top US officials hold meet with Taliban, counter-terrorism was the focus | Latest News | WION
Final Words
The Taliban have pledged not to provide a safe haven to terrorists in the wake of the American withdrawal from Afghanistan. That promise was made while the group's leaders were angling to look more secular in order to attract donors as they worked to establish a stable administration in Kabul.
Since then, the United States has maintained dialogue with the Taliban, including efforts to secure Mark Frerichs' release. However, top-level leaders have not had a face-to-face meeting since just before Zawahiri's death on July 31.
Saturday's meeting between CIA Deputy Director David Cohen and Taliban representative Wasiq suggests a focus on counterterrorism efforts. Last month, the White House described efforts to collaborate with the Taliban to fight terrorism as "a work in progress."
