'Candid & Professional': US After First Face-To-Face Talks With Taliban In Doha

The talk which took place in Doha, Qatar focused on security, the safe passage of U.S. citizens and terrorism concerns.

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New Delhi: US officials have called the first face-to-face meeting with Taliban leaders since the organization took over the country as ‘candid and professional’.

The talk which took place in Doha, Qatar focused on security, the safe passage of U.S. citizens and terrorism concerns.

"The discussions were candid and professional with the U.S. delegation reiterating that the Taliban will be judged on its actions, not only its words," said State Department spokesman Ned Price in a statement in a report by Reuters.

He also added that the Taliban will be judged by their action and not just words. Price also said that they also discussed ‘the United States' provision of robust humanitarian assistance, directly to the Afghan people.’

He had earlier said that 105 US citizens and 95 green-card holders had left Afghanistan over the flights facilitated by the US. However, dozens of American citizens along with various Afghan allies are still stuck in war-torn Afghanistan and wants to leave the country.

A report by  Al Jazeera also said that the acting foreign minister Amir Khan Muttaqi, has asked the US side to lift the ban on Afghan central bank reserves.

Earlier Associated Press had reported that the Taliban had refused cooperation with the United States to contain the extremist group, Islamic State.

Currently, the U.S. and other Western countries have difficult choices to make as Afghanistan is facing a severe humanitarian crisis. These countries are trying to work out ways to engage with the Taliban without granting the group the legitimacy it seeks to ensure humanitarian aid flows into the country.