A Trump administration envoy met Taliban leaders in Kabul on Saturday to discuss improving relations and possible “investment opportunities” in Afghanistan, the group said.
Newsweek has reached out to the State Department and White House for comment via email on Saturday.
Why It Matters
The Taliban regained control of Afghanistan in August 2021 after U.S. forces withdrew. This is their second time in power since previously ruling from 1996 to 2001.
In July, Russia became the first country to formally recognize the Taliban’s leadership. No other nation has followed, but talks with U.S. envoys mark a significant step toward reestablishing relations. The Taliban, known for hardline rule and morality policing, sharply restrict women’s rights: girls are barred from secondary and higher education, most paid work and many public spaces.
The U.S. has a long history and deep involvement with Afghanistan, having militarily entered the country in 2001 after the September 11 terrorist attacks and withdrawing 20 years later. Earlier this summer, President Donald Trump issued an executive order fully restricting the entry of individuals from a dozen countries, including Afghanistan.
Taliban Foreign Ministry Press Service via AP
What To Know
Trump’s special envoy for hostage response, Adam Boehler, and Zalmay Khalilzad, former US ambassador to Afghanistan, sat down with Taliban leaders in Afghanistan’s capital on Saturday.
In a statement obtained by the Associated Press, the Taliban noted that its foreign minister, Amir Khan Muttaqi, met with the two Trump envoy members and had “comprehensive discussions.” The diplomats spoke about “ways to develop bilateral relations between the two countries, issues related to citizens, and investment opportunities in Afghanistan.”
The meeting comes months after the Taliban released George Glezmann, an American airline mechanic from Atlanta abducted more than two years ago in Afghanistan, in March. Glezmann was traveling as a tourist in the country when he was seized by the Taliban’s intelligence services in December 2022. He was designated by the United States as wrongfully detained in 2023.
Taliban Foreign Ministry Press Service via AP
The official X account of Afghanistan’s deputy prime minister for economic affairs office posted a video recapping the meeting on Saturday. “During the meeting, both sides discussed the current situation in Afghanistan, the region, and the world. And exchanged views on bilateral, political, and economic relations between Afghanistan and the United States,” the video said.
The video also noted that Taliban officials emphasized the country’s natural resources, including iron mines and oil fields, as well as infrastructure developments, as potential investment opportunities.
The U.S. and Taliban officials signed the Doha Agreement during Trump’s first term, in 2020, which pledged a complete U.S. troop withdrawal.
Reuters and local outlets have reported that the leaders discussed prisoner exchanges between the two countries.
Taliban Foreign Ministry Press Service via AP
What People Are Saying
Russia’s foreign ministry said in July, per Reuters: “We believe that the act of official recognition of the government of the Islamic Emirate of Afghanistan will give impetus to the development of productive bilateral cooperation between our countries in various fields.”
Afghan Foreign Minister Amir Khan Muttaqi said in a statement in July, per Reuters: “We value this courageous step taken by Russia, and, God willing, it will serve as an example for others as well.”
What Happens Next?
The Afghan foreign ministry said that leaders will continue talks in the future but did not specify when or where. The statement, which was obtained by Reuters, noted that future talks will be “regarding citizens imprisoned in each other’s countries.”
