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US says Doha talks with IEA were “candid and professional”
The United States said late Sunday that the talks with the Islamic Emirate of Afghanistan (IEA) in Doha, Qatar, had been “candid and professional” and focused on security, terrorism and other key issues.
According to a statement issued by the US State Department spokesman Ned Price: “The US delegation focused on security and terrorism concerns and safe passage for US citizens, other foreign nationals, and our Afghan partners.”
He said the delegates also focused on human rights, including the meaningful participation of women and girls in all aspects of Afghan society.
“The two sides also discussed the United States’ provision of robust humanitarian assistance, directly to the Afghan people. The discussions were candid and professional with the U.S. delegation reiterating that the Taliban (IEA) will be judged on its actions, not only its words,” he said.
Price said the two-day talks involved an “interagency delegation” from the United States and “senior Taliban (IEA) representatives.”
They were the first face-to-face talks between the two sides since the IEA seized control of Afghanistan in August following the withdrawal of Western troops.
The also said it will provide urgent humanitarian aid to a desperately poor Afghanistan on the brink of an economic disaster, but refused to give political recognition to the country’s new IEA rulers.
IEA political spokesman Suhail Shaheen told The Associated Press that Afghanistan’s acting foreign minister, Amir Khan Muttaqi, assured the US during the talks that the IEA is committed to seeing that Afghan soil is not used by extremists to launch attacks against other countries.
“We are able to tackle Daesh independently,” Shaheen said when asked whether the IEA would work with the US to contain the Islamic State (ISIS-K) affiliate.
Bill Roggio, a senior fellow at the Foundation for Defense of Democracies who tracks militant groups, agreed the IEA does not need Washington’s help to hunt down and destroy Afghanistan’s Daesh.
The IEA “fought 20 years to eject the US, and the last thing it needs is the return of the US. It also doesn’t need US help,” said Roggio, who also produces the foundation’s Long War Journal.
“The Taliban (IEA) has to conduct the difficult and time-consuming task of rooting out ISKP (Daesh) cells and its limited infrastructure. It has all the knowledge and tools it needs to do it.”
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Pakistan to repatriate nearly 20,000 Afghans awaiting US resettlement
Authorities will also share verified data of the affected individuals with relevant departments to support implementation.
Pakistan will repatriate nearly 20,000 Afghan nationals currently awaiting resettlement in the United States, The Nation reported, citing official sources.
The move affects 19,973 Afghans living across Pakistan.
A federal directive will instruct provincial chief secretaries and police chiefs in Punjab, Sindh, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, Balochistan, Azad Kashmir, Gilgit-Baltistan, and the Islamabad Capital Territory to begin the repatriation process immediately.
Authorities will also share verified data of the affected individuals with relevant departments to support implementation.
Following the Islamic Emirate’s return to power in 2021, more than 100,000 Afghans fled to Pakistan, many of whom had worked with the US and UK governments, international organizations, or aid agencies.
Thousands have remained stranded in Pakistan for over four years while awaiting US resettlement clearance.
Prospects for relocation have dimmed amid a suspension of case processing by the US administration, according to The Nation.
Under Pakistan’s Illegal Foreigners Repatriation Plan (IFRP), all Afghan nationals still awaiting US relocation will now be returned to Afghanistan.
Terrorist activities continue to be observed along Afghanistan borders and along the India–Pakistan–Afghanistan corridor, Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov said in an interview published on Monday.
Speaking to Russia-based media outlet TV BRICS, Lavrov pointed to ongoing concerns in the Middle East, including its Asian regions.
He highlighted the importance of collaboration with India at the United Nations to advance a global counter-terrorism convention.
Lavrov stated that while the draft convention has already been prepared, consensus on its adoption has not yet been reached.
Russia has repeatedly expressed concern about militant threats from Afghanistan. The Islamic Emirate, however, has dismissed the concerns saying that it will not allow Afghanistan’s soil to be used against any country.
Noorullah Noori, Afghanistan’s Minister of Borders and Tribal Affairs, held a phone conversation with Kazem Gharibabadi, Iran’s Deputy Foreign Minister for Legal and International Affairs, to discuss bilateral border cooperation.
According to the Iranian news agency IRNA, both sides reaffirmed their commitment to strengthening border collaboration, with a particular focus on the ongoing renovation and updating of border markers. They also agreed to accelerate joint technical and legal meetings to enhance coordination.
As part of the agreement, the next meeting of senior border officials from Afghanistan and Iran is scheduled to take place in Iran in 1405 (2026–2027).
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Pakistan to repatriate nearly 20,000 Afghans awaiting US resettlement
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