Original title: first talks with the Taliban after withdrawing from Afghanistan, US officials: not recognizing legitimacy
(Observer News) according to Reuters reported on the 8th, two Afghan government officials revealed that the U.S. delegation will meet with Taliban representatives in Doha, Qatar, on the 9th and 10th local time. This is the first high-level face-to-face meeting between Afghanistan and the United States since the withdrawal of U.S. troops from Afghanistan.

Exclusive report: the United States will hold talks with the Taliban for the first time. Source: Reuters
According to reports, Afghan officials said that the U.S. delegation would include Tom middot, deputy special representative of the U.S. State Department; Tom West, senior humanitarian officer of USAID, Sarah & middot; Sarah Charles and officials in the U.S. intelligence community.

Tom middot, deputy special representative of the US State Department; West. Source: cision PR Newswire
However, the United States Special Representative Zalmai & middot; Zalmay Khalilzad has led the dialogue between the United States and the Taliban for many years and is a key figure in the peace talks with the Taliban, but he will not attend the meeting.

Khalilzad arrived in Doha, Qatar in August to participate in the Afghan peace talks. Source: Reuters
On the Taliban side, according to Afghan insiders, cabinet officials will attend the meeting.
According to Reuters, a senior US government official who asked not to be named said: & ldquo; This meeting is the continuation of our practical contacts with the Taliban on issues related to major national interests. This meeting is not intended to recognize or confer legitimacy. We still know that any legitimacy must be gained through the Taliban's own actions. They need to prove it through long-term performance& rdquo;
Another U.S. official said that another top priority of the meeting is to let the Taliban fulfill its commitment that Afghanistan will not become "Afghanistan" again; Al Qaeda; Or other extremists, while putting pressure on the Taliban to improve access to humanitarian assistance. Today, Afghanistan faces & ldquo; Very serious & rdquo; And may not be able to stop it & rdquo; Economic contraction & rdquo; The state of.
It is reported that U.S. officials will use the meeting to put pressure on the Taliban to ensure that U.S. citizens and others continue to leave Afghanistan safely and release kidnapped U.S. citizen mark middot; Mark frerichs.
According to Newsweek's report in February, Friis, an American Civil Engineer, disappeared in Afghanistan in January 2020. The United States has confirmed that frerix was captured by the Haqqani network, which is closely related to the Taliban.

The FBI issued a kidnapping notice for frerix. Source: FBI
According to State Department spokesman ned middot; Price said on the 7th that since the U.S. withdrawal from Afghanistan, the United States has evacuated 105 U.S. citizens and 95 legal permanent residents from Afghanistan. At present, the U.S. State Department refused to provide accurate figures of the remaining personnel, but said that the State Department was working with & ldquo; Dozens of Americans who want to leave Afghanistan & rdquo; Keep in touch, but this figure is unstable and the exact number cannot be confirmed at present.
According to Reuters, the United States and other western countries and regions are trying to avoid direct contact with the Taliban and allow humanitarian assistance to flow into Afghanistan.
According to the world bank, the withdrawal of U.S. troops and the withdrawal of many international donors have cost Afghanistan about 75% of its public expenditure grants. Nowadays, many Afghans have begun to sell their property to buy increasingly scarce food.
According to Reuters, an American official said: & ldquo; Although the access of humanitarian actors to Afghanistan has improved, problems remain. At this meeting, we will also urge the Taliban to improve people's basic security& rdquo;