Taliban’s Zabihullah Mujahid Speaks on Doha Summit and Afghanistan’s Domestic Issues
Kabul [Afghanistan], June 29: Ahead of the UN-led meeting in Doha on Afghanistan, Taliban spokesperson Zabihullah Mujahid has stated that Afghanistan’s domestic issues will not be discussed. He emphasized that these issues are not the concern of the United Nations.
Mujahid mentioned that the Taliban has invited countries to interact with Afghanistan at the Doha Summit. He clarified that their participation is meant for engagement with all parties and should be understood and utilized accordingly.
He added that Afghanistan’s domestic concerns would not be addressed during the third Doha summit as they are relevant to the country rather than the United Nations. Mujahid also noted the Taliban’s resistance to women attending the summit, aiming to maintain a unified Afghan representation.
The third Doha meeting is scheduled to be held from June 30 to July 1 in Qatar. The UN held the first Afghanistan Conference in May 2023 without the Taliban to develop a common international approach towards Afghanistan. The second conference was called by UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres in February this year.
In February 2020, the United States and the Taliban signed an agreement on the withdrawal of international forces from Afghanistan by May 2021. In April 2021, NATO Foreign and Defence ministers decided to withdraw all Allied troops from Afghanistan within a few months. Following the withdrawal announcement, the Taliban began an assault on major cities and seized control of several of them. Former Afghan President Ashraf Ghani fled the country, and the Taliban took control of Kabul in August 2021.
