The top diplomat of the regime, Amir Khan Muttaqi, met with Washington’s special envoy for hostage response, Adam Boehler, and former US on Saturday, according to the Islamist faction.
“Comprehensive discussions were held on ways to develop bilateral relations between the two countries, issues related to citizens, and investment opportunities in Afghanistan,” the Afghan Foreign Ministry said in a statement on X.
While the Taliban published photos of Boehler and Khalilzad meeting Muttaqi, the did not immediately corroborate the Taliban claims. It was also not clear where the meeting took place.
The US does not officially recognize the Taliban government. While , Russia is so far the only country that has full diplomatic ties with the extremist group.
What else did the Taliban say about the talks with US diplomats?
The meeting came after , who was abducted by the Taliban’s intelligence services while traveling through Afghanistan as a tourist in December 2022. , following decades of US and NATO occupation.
He was the third detainee freed by the Taliban since US President returned to the White House for a second term in January.
The Taliban statement says talks would continue in the future, “particularly regarding citizens imprisoned in each other’s countries.”
At least one US citizen, Mahmood Habibi, is believed to be detained in , but the Taliban deny holding him.
Trump has made securing the freedom of US citizens held prisoner overseas a top priority.
The US president signed an executive order this month to designate countries a “state sponsor of wrongful detention” and impose sanctions on countries that illegally detain US citizens.
Edited by: Darko Janjevic
The post Taliban say they met US diplomats, talked ‘bilateral’ ties appeared first on Deutsche Welle.
