Have the Taliban changed in 20 years?
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(CNN) -
A US delegation met with "senior Taliban representatives from Kabul" in Doha, Qatar, this weekend, a State Department official said before the meeting.
It is the first such meeting since the US withdrawal from Afghanistan in late August.
"This meeting is a continuation of pragmatic engagements with the Taliban on issues of vital national interest to the United States," the official told CNN.
Taliban spokesman Zabihullah Mujahid told reporters on Saturday: "We had a detailed discussion with the US delegation in Doha, and this discussion will continue throughout today and also tomorrow."
"During this meeting, they also discussed humanitarian assistance and this discussion will continue," Mujahid said.
The meeting comes as the US government continues its efforts to get US citizens, permanent residents and vulnerable Afghans out of the country nearly six weeks after the hasty and chaotic evacuation and withdrawal of the US military ended.
And while examining an overview of how to prevent a resurgence of terrorist groups in Afghanistan.
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The State Department official said that "the safe and continued withdrawal from Afghanistan of Americans and other foreign nationals and Afghans seeking to leave the country, with whom we have a special commitment," is one of the key priorities for the meeting, which was first reported by Reuters.
State Department spokesman Ned Price said during a press conference Thursday that the agency is in contact with "dozens of Americans in Afghanistan who wish to leave," but added that it was difficult to put a precise number of US citizens who remain.
He said the US government has directly facilitated the departure of 105 US citizens and 95 legal permanent residents from Afghanistan since Aug. 31, when all US forces and personnel withdrew from the country.
Counterterrorism
At the Doha meeting, the United States will prioritize "making the Taliban fulfill their commitment not to allow terrorists to use Afghan soil to threaten the security of the United States or its allies," the official said earlier this week.
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CIA Deputy Director David Cohen would be part of the US delegation, a source said before the meeting, reflecting the US focus on counterterrorism.
Deputy Special Representative for Afghanistan Reconciliation Tom West is the State Department's top representative in the U.S. delegation, the State Department official said, noting that the group includes representatives from the U.S. Agency for International Development and others.
The source said that USAID's top humanitarian official, Sarah Charles, was expected to be among the delegation.
Afghanistan Special Representative for Reconciliation Zalmay Khalilzad, who negotiated the March 2020 deal with the Taliban that has been defamed by Biden administration officials, will not attend.
According to the State Department official, the United States also intended to pressure the Taliban "to respect the rights of all Afghans, including women and girls, and to form an inclusive government with broad support."
"As Afghanistan faces the prospect of a severe economic downturn and a possible humanitarian crisis, we will also pressure the Taliban to allow humanitarian agencies free access to areas in need," the official said.
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Since the Taliban gained control of the country, they have been accused of serious human rights abuses, including the illegal killing of 13 minority Shiite Hazaras.
Afghanistan's health system has collapsed and there is a severe food shortage.
The official told CNN that the meeting with the Taliban representatives "is not about granting recognition or conferring legitimacy."
"We are clear that any legitimacy must be earned through the Taliban's own actions," they said.
Mujahid added this Saturday: "Our goal is to have more meetings with the Americans and also with the European delegates in the coming days, so that we can discuss and have their views and suggestions on the current situation in Afghanistan."
"We have told you over and over again that a weak and unstable government in Afghanistan is of no interest to anyone," he said.
CNN's Alex Marquardt contributed to this report.
Taliban Movement