Afghanistan: US says Taliban will be judged on their actions, not words following meeting

With the Taliban now in control of Afghanistan, the insurgent group is looking to present its new government that would be different from their hardline views in their previous regime. Following the talks between officials of the insurgent group and the US, the US has said that the Taliban will be judged on their actions rather than their words.

The Taliban and senior US officials held the first in-person talks during the weekend at Doha, Qatar following the withdrawal of the US and the collapse of Afghanistan’s western-backed government. The discussions between the US delegation and Taliban officials centered on concerns regarding security and terrorism, safe passage for US citizens, as well as human rights, particularly the participation of women and girls in Afghan society.

State Department spokesman Ned Price released a statement regarding the meeting. Price said that the US delegation during the talks stressed that they will judge the actions of the insurgent group rather than solely on its words. However, it was not disclosed whether agreements were reached between both sides.

“The discussions were candid and professional with the US delegation reiterating that the Taliban will be judged on its actions, not only its words,” said Price in the statement.

Al Jazeera reported Saturday cited Afghanistan’s acting foreign minister Amir Khan Muttaqi saying that representatives of the Taliban had asked the US to lift the ban on the Afghan central bank reserves. Muttaqi also said that Washington could offer Afghans COVID-19 vaccines and that both sides discussed restarting relations between both countries. The administration of US President Joe Biden told Reuters Friday that the US delegation would ask the insurgent group to release kidnapped American Mark Frerichs.

Meanwhile, Al Jazeera also reports that the insurgent group is now looking to carry out a crackdown on the widespread narcotics problem in the country. The Taliban’s crackdown on the drug problem that Afghanistan is facing revealed homeless citizens found to be addicted to heroin and other drugs are gathered, beaten up, and forcibly taken to treatment centers.

The Associated Press, which managed to gain access to a recent raid, saw Afghan men, many of whom have mental illnesses were sitting against stone walls with their hands tied. The men were told to either kick the habit or be subject to beatings.