The U.S. Special Representative for Afghanistan will visit Doha next week for two weeks of meetings with leaders of the Taliban movement (banned in Russia), U.S. State Department spokesperson Ned Price said.
"They’ll discuss ... our vital national interests when it comes to Afghanistan," said Price. "That includes counterterrorism, that includes safe passage for U.S. citizens and for Afghans to whom we have a special commitment and that includes humanitarian assistance and the economic situation of the country.”
The U.S. envoy, Tom West, earlier this month attended a meeting of the so-called extended Troika, comprising Pakistan, China, Russia and the United States to discuss Afghanistan. The group had also met with senior Taliban representatives.
West was also part of the U.S. delegation in meetings with Taliban officials in Doha in October, the first such talks between Washington and the Taliban after United States' chaotic end to its two decade-long war in Afghanistan on Aug. 31, Reuters reported.
