By John Ikani
The Taliban has warned the United States not to “destabilize” its regime.
The group gave the warning on Saturday during their first face-to-face talks since the U.S. withdrawal, as a deadly sectarian bombing raised further questions about their grip on power.
Scores of worshippers were wounded in Friday’s blast in Kunduz, which was claimed by the Daesh — who appear to be attempting to further shake Afghanistan after the Taliban takeover.
As mourners in northern Afghanistan buried their dead from an attack on a mosque that killed 62, a Taliban delegation told US officials in Doha that any weakening of their government could cause “problems for the people”.
What the Taliban told US:
“We clearly told them that trying to destabilise the government in Afghanistan is good for no one,” the Taliban’s Foreign Minister Amir Khan Muttaqi told the Afghan State News Agency, Bakhtar after the talks in the Qatari capital.
“Good relations with Afghanistan are good for everyone. Nothing should be done to weaken the existing government in Afghanistan which can lead to problems for the people,” he said, in a recorded statement translated by AFP.
What you should know
The Taliban are seeking international recognition, as well as assistance to avoid a humanitarian disaster and ease Afghanistan’s economic crisis.
A State Department Official said the U.S. delegation would press the Taliban to ensure terrorists do not create a base for attacks in the country.
It would also pressure Afghanistan’s new rulers to form an inclusive government and to respect the rights of women and girls, the official said, stressing the meeting did not indicate Washington recognized Taliban rule.
“We remain clear that any legitimacy must be earned through the Taliban’s own actions,” the official said.
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