Taliban Denies Doha Office Talks with US
TEHRAN (Tasnim) – Afghan Taliban Spokesman Zabihullah Mujahid denied reports that the group’s representatives in Qatar have held talks with US officials, saying the Doha office does not take any measure without arrangement with the Taliban leadership.
In comments on Sunday, Mujahid denied Western media reports that the Taliban office in Doha has quietly held talks with American officials.
Such Western reports are serving the objectives of the Afghan government and the American forces, he said.
Dismissing speculation about a rift between the Taliban’s leaders and the group’s bureau in Qatar, Mujahid underlined that members of the Taliban do not take any measure without coordination with the leaders.
All members of the Taliban, including head of its political office in Qatar Sher Muhammad Abbas Stanekzai, have always safeguarded the Taliban’s values in their political activities, he stressed.
Taliban leaders fully trust the political office in Doha, which is genuinely pressing ahead with the group’s political plans, Mujahid went on to say.
His comments came after some Western reports that the Taliban has reversed its long-standing policy as its Doha office has held face-to-face talks with US diplomats.
While officials in Washington have not acknowledged such a meeting, The Washington Post quoted the US State Department as confirming that its senior official dealing with the Afghan region, Alice Wells, traveled to Doha in late July to “commend the government” for its “ongoing support for peace in Afghanistan.”
Qatar has long hosted a Taliban political office.