Taliban and U.S. envoys have discussed the release of 2 American prisoners at third Doha meeting

The Taliban’s delegation to the 3rd United Nations-led Doha gathering connected expanding engagement with Afghanistan met with U.S. envoys connected the sidelines and discussed the 2 Americans imprisoned successful the cardinal Asian country

ISLAMABAD -- The Taliban's delegation to the third United Nations-led Doha meeting connected expanding engagement with Afghanistan met with U.S. envoys connected the sidelines and discussed the 2 Americans imprisoned successful the cardinal Asian country.

Zabihullah Mujahid told reporters successful Kabul Wednesday that the gathering aimed astatine “finding a solution.” He said: “During our meetings, we talked astir the 2 American citizens who are successful situation successful Afghanistan.” adding “but they indispensable judge Afghanistan’s conditions. We besides person prisoners successful America, prisoners successful Guantanamo. We should escaped our prisoners successful speech for them.”

Special Representative Tom West and Special Envoy Rina Amiri met straight with the Taliban, according to State Department spokesperson Vedant Patel. West pressed for “the contiguous and unconditional merchandise of U.S. citizens unjustly detained successful Afghanistan,” Patel said connected Tuesday.

When prodded if determination was immoderate headway connected the matter, Patel said the contented “was conscionable raised.”

One of the 2 Americans believed to beryllium held by the Taliban for astir 2 years is Ryan Corbett who was abducted Aug. 10, 2022, aft returning to Afghanistan, wherever helium and his household had been surviving astatine the clip of the illness of the U.S.-backed authorities determination a twelvemonth earlier.

He arrived connected a valid 12-month visa to wage and bid unit arsenic portion of a concern task helium led aimed astatine promoting Afghanistan’s backstage assemblage done consulting services and lending.

Corbett has since been shuttled betwixt aggregate prisons, though his lawyers accidental helium has not been seen since past December by anyone different than the radical with whom helium was detained.

It was the archetypal clip that representatives of the Afghan Taliban medication attended the UN-sponsored gathering successful the Qatari superior connected Sunday and Monday that focused connected expanding engagement with Afghanistan. However, a U.N. authoritative said Monday the gathering did not construe into a designation of the Taliban government.

Envoys from immoderate 2 twelve countries besides attended the meetings.

The Taliban were not invited to the archetypal meeting, and U.N. Secretary-General Antonio Guterres said they acceptable unacceptable conditions for attending the 2nd one, successful February, including demands that Afghan civilian nine members beryllium excluded from the talks and that the Taliban beryllium treated arsenic the country’s morganatic rulers.

Ahead of Doha, representatives of Afghan women were excluded from attending, paving the mode for the Taliban to nonstop their envoys — though the organizers insisted that demands for women’s rights would beryllium raised.

Mujahid said determination was an accidental for them to conscionable with representatives of assorted countries and they had 24 sideline meetings.

He added that the messages from the Taliban “reached each participating” countries astatine the meeting. Afghanistan needs practice with the backstage assemblage and successful the combat against drugs, helium besides said. “Most countries expressed their willingness to cooperate successful these areas.”

No state officially recognizes the Taliban and the U.N. has said that designation remains practically intolerable portion bans connected pistillate acquisition and employment stay successful place.