The United States has asked the Taliban to fulfill its “commitments” on counter-terrorism, human rights, and general amnesty when the officials of both sides met in Doha. The Taliban insisted on the immediate release of Afghan funds in meetings with US officials in Doha this week. A US interagency delegation led by US Special Envoy to Afghanistan Tom West held talks with the Taliban delegations led by the group’s interim Foreign Minister Ameer Khan Muttaqi and discussed a range of issues, including humanitarian assistance. 

“The two teams also discussed the international community’s ongoing and urgent response to the humanitarian crisis in Afghanistan, and the US delegation pledged to continue to support UN and humanitarian actors’ efforts to scale up to meet life-saving needs this coming winter,” The State Department said in a statement released on Tuesday. 

Taliban’s spokesperson of the foreign ministry Abdul Qahar Balkhi said in a tweet, “The Afghan side assured them about security, urged immediate unconditional unfreezing of Afghan reserves, ending of sanctions and blacklists, and disconnecting humanitarian issues from political considerations.” 

As the crisis worsens by the day in Afghanistan, criticism has been growing against the sanctions put by the US and the international community on the Taliban, which appears like a punishment for common Afghans. 

However, the State Department on Tuesday defended its stance, saying “US sanctions do not limit the ability of Afghan civilians to receive humanitarian support from the US government and international community while denying assets to sanctioned entities and individuals.”

This came days after the United Nations Development Program (UNDP) suggested changes and tweaks in the sanction policy to save the Afghan banking system, which has almost collapsed now. The perception even among common Afghans has been growing as if the US is punishing common Afghans for its defeat at the hands of the Taliban. 

On the issues of rights, the statement said, “American officials expressed deep concern regarding allegations of human rights abuses and urged the Taliban to protect the rights of all Afghans, uphold and enforce its policy of general amnesty, and take additional steps to form an inclusive and representative government.”

This came on the same day when Human Rights Watch released its latest report, alleging the Taliban’s involvement in the extra-judicial killings of over 100 police and intelligence officers belonging to the former US-backed Afghan government. The actual figure is likely to be much higher as the rights watchdog has interviewed witnesses, relatives, and officials only from a few provinces. 

Significantly, the meeting came when the Taliban has caught up with the challenges posed by ISIS, which since September this year has executed over 54 attacks against the Taliban and others. However, the Taliban has ruled out any cooperation ( probably because of ideological aspects) with the West on tackling ISIS, saying they were capable of handling them. 

Experts, too, cautioned saying any open and public cooperation between the Taliban and the West on ISIS would give a propaganda point to the latter for recruiting more and more disgruntled hardliners Taliban fighters and other jihadis. 

(SAM)