A U.S. delegation pledged to continue to support United Nations efforts to address the humanitarian crisis in Afghanistan while also urging the Taliban to protect human rights as it met with senior representatives of the group in Qatar this week, the State Department said.
The November 29-30 meeting was the second round of talks between the two sides in Doha since the hard-line Islamist group toppled the internationally backed government in Kabul in August, leading to a chaotic end of the U.S.-led military presence in Afghanistan following two decades of war.
The international community has refused to recognize Afghanistan’s new rulers. U.S. financial sanctions and the abrupt withdrawal of most foreign aid and development support have sent the war-torn country’s economy into free fall, while Afghan central bank reserves held abroad have been frozen.
As a result, the United Nations says Afghanistan is on the brink of a humanitarian catastrophe, with more than half of its population at risk of not having enough to eat during the winter.
SEE ALSO: Pakistan Offers To Host OIC Ministerial Meeting On Afghanistan's Humanitarian CrisisThe two delegations in Doha were led by U.S. Special Representative for Afghanistan Thomas West and Afghanistan’s interim Foreign Minister Amir Khan Muttaqi. The U.S. delegation also included officials from the State Department, the Treasury Department, the U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID), and the intelligence community.
The sides "discussed the international community’s on-going and urgent response" to the humanitarian crisis, and the U.S. delegation pledged to continue to support the efforts of the UN and humanitarian organizations to meet the needs of the Afghan people during the coming winter, State Department spokesman Ned Price said in a statement.
He added that the United States “remains committed to ensuring that U.S. sanctions do not limit the ability of Afghan civilians to receive humanitarian support from the U.S. government and international community while denying assets to sanctioned entities and individuals.”
SEE ALSO: Afghans Complain Of Beatings, Harassment As Taliban Inspects SmartphonesThe Treasury Department has issued general licenses to support the continued flow of humanitarian assistance to Afghanistan and other activities that support basic human needs, Price said.
According to Afghan Foreign Ministry spokesman Abdul Qahar Balkhi, the Taliban delegation renewed the group’s call for Washington to release billions of dollars in frozen funds, to put an end to blacklists and sanctions.
"The Afghan delegation assured the US side of security and urged that Afghanistan's frozen money should be released unconditionally, blacklists and sanctions must end, and human issues be separated from political ones," Balkhi tweeted.
The talks came after EU officials held a similar meeting with the Taliban in Doha. EU representatives said afterward the bloc could unlock extra financing for the cash-strapped country if the group met conditions.
SEE ALSO: 'Terrified' Afghan Hazara Say Taliban Evicted Them And Seized HomesPrice said U.S. officials "expressed deep concern” about 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.”
Evidence of human rights abuses has been documented, including in a report on November 30 from Human Rights Watch (HRW) saying the Taliban has “summarily executed or forcibly disappeared” more than 100 former security force members since seizing power in August.
U.S. officials also expressed concern regarding the continuing presence of Al-Qaeda and Islamic State (IS) in Afghanistan.
Prior to the U.S. invasion after the 9/11 terrorist attacks, the Taliban, who ruled the country at the time, harbored Al-Qaeda leader Osama bin Laden, the mastermind of the attacks.
Price said the Taliban reiterated its pledge to not allow Afghanistan to be used by anyone to threaten any country.
The U.S. delegation also urged the Taliban to implement a commitment on providing countrywide access to education at all levels for women and girls.
"The Taliban expressed openness to engaging with the international community on full access to education and welcomed efforts to verify and monitor progress to enroll women and girls in school at all levels," Price said.