WASHINGTON, 13 October 2021, (TON): The United States said that the weekend talks with the Taliban were candid and professional.

During the weekend, the Biden administration held their first face-to-face meeting with the Taliban in Doha since the withdrawal of US troops from Afghanistan in late August.

A State Department official told journalists in Washington that on Oct 9 and 10, an interagency US delegation travelled to the Qatari capital to meet senior Taliban representatives.

The department’s spokesperson Ned Price said “The US delegation focused on security and terrorism concerns and safe passage for US citizens, other foreign nationals and our Afghan partners.”

He said “US officials also focused on human rights, including the meaningful participation of women and girls in all aspects of Afghan society.”

Mr Price said “the two sides also discussed the provision of robust US humanitarian assistance, directly to the Afghan people.”

“The discussions were candid and professional with the US delegation reiterating that the Taliban will be judged on its actions, not only its words.”