Two Days Meeting In Qatar: US Concerned About Allegations Of Human Rights Violations, Taliban Ready To Open To International Community

JAKARTA - A United States (US) delegation led by the special representative for Afghanistan, Thomas West, held talks with senior representatives of the Afghan Taliban in Qatar on Monday and Tuesday, the US State Department said.

The two sides discussed the international community's response to the humanitarian crisis in Afghanistan, with the US delegation pledging to continue to support UN efforts to address the situation, the State Department said in a statement on Tuesday.

US officials "expressed deep concern about allegations of human rights abuses and urge the Taliban to protect the rights of all Afghans, uphold and affirm a general amnesty policy, and take additional steps to form an inclusive and representative government," the State Department said, citing Reuters on December 1.

In addition, US officials urged the Taliban to implement commitments in providing access to education across the country at all levels for women and girls.

"The Taliban expresses an openness to engaging with the international community on full access to education, welcoming efforts to verify and monitor progress to enroll women and girls in schools at all levels," the State Department said.

For information, said the Washington delegation included representatives from the intelligence community, the Treasury, and the US international aid agency USAID. Meanwhile, a group of technocratic professionals also took part on the side