WASHINGTON, 13 November 2021, (TON): A senior US official told Reuters “the United States and Qatar have agreed that Qatar will represent the diplomatic interests of the United States in Afghanistan, an important signal of potential direct engagement between Washington and Kabul in the future after two decades of war.”

Qatar will sign an arrangement with the United States on Friday to assume the role of "protecting power" for US interests to help facilitate any formal communication between Washington and the Taliban government in Afghanistan, which the United States does not recognise.

The move comes at a time when the United States and other Western countries are grappling with how to engage with the Taliban after the hardline group took over Afghanistan in a lightning advance in August as US-led forces were withdrawing after two decades of war.

Many countries including the United States and European states are reluctant to formally recognise the Taliban as critics say they are backtracking on pledges of political and ethnic inclusivity and not to sideline women and minorities.

But with winter approaching, many countries realise they need to engage more to prevent the deeply impoverished country from plunging into a humanitarian catastrophe.

US Secretary of State Antony Blinken will announce the deal with his Qatari counterpart Mohammed bin Abdulrahman Al-Thani at a news conference after their meeting.