UK officials meet Taliban as Afghanistan reels under economic woes

Afghanistan's Taliban leaders have met with British officials for the first time since taking power, a move the group hopes will pave the way for the country to refill cash-starved coffers as it teeters on the brink of economic collapse.

The Taliban said meanwhile they arrested 11 members of the rival Daesh group.

British diplomats' meeting with the Taliban in the capital Kabul came a day after the Taliban leaders met with an Iranian delegation — another first since assuming the helm — to discuss trade relations, a key driver of Afghanistan's economy.

The Taliban leaders met with Simon Gass, the British prime minister's high representative for Afghan transition, and Martin Longden, the charge d’affaires of the UK mission to Afghanistan in Doha.

The meeting marked Britain's first diplomatic visit to the country since the Taliban seized Kabul on August 15 and took control of Afghanistan following the US exit.

They "discussed how the UK could help Afghanistan to address the humanitarian crisis, the importance of preventing the country from becoming an incubator for terrorism, and the need for continued safe passage for those who want to leave the country," the Foreign Office said.

"They also raised the treatment of minorities and the rights of women and girls."

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Finding common ground

After the meeting, Longden tweeted that "substantial discussions" were held with the Taliban leadership covering a wide range of topics, including the humanitarian crisis, terrorism and the importance of safe passage for the UK and Afghan nationals, and the rights of women and girls.

He fell short of recognising their government officially, a Taliban wish, and described the meeting as a "test."

"It's early days and unsurprisingly, there are points of difference between us. But such difficult challenges lie ahead for Afghanistan (and beyond)," he tweeted. 

"It's right to test if we can engage pragmatically and find common ground — in the interests of both the UK and Afghan peoples."

In a statement, the Taliban said it was committed to good relations with all countries. 

"In return, we want the international community to return the cash capital of the Afghan nation to our nation," it said, referring to billions in Afghan assets frozen in US accounts.

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Taliban's meeting with Iran officials 

The Taliban met on Monday with a delegation from neighbouring Iran to regulate trade between the countries, Taliban spokesman Bilal Karimi said. 

They agreed to increase trading hours at the Islam Qala border crossing from eight hours per day to 24 and to better regulate the collection of tariffs and improve roadworks. 

Customs are a key source of the domestic revenue for Afghanistan.

Afghanistan, an aid-dependent country, is grappling with a liquidity crisis as assets remain frozen in the US and disbursements from international organisations that once accounted for 75 percent of state spending have been paused.

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Daesh members arrested 

Meanwhile, Taliban officials said on Tuesday they arrested 11 members of the Daesh group, a rival and bitter enemy of the insurgents, in Kabul. 

The Daesh affiliate — based in eastern Nangarhar province — has claimed responsibility for a spate of recent attacks targeting Taliban forces in eastern Afghanistan and elsewhere.

Karimi posted on Twitter that the raid was carried out on Sunday night in the Afghan capital's Fifth Police District. 

He provided no further details. The raid came just hours after a bombing that targeted the Eid Gah Mosque in Kabul, killing at least five people.

Daesh claimed responsibility for the mosque attack late on Monday, saying in a posting by its Amaq news agency that one of its suicide bombers targeted senior Taliban figures following a mourning service.

Sunday's bombing was the deadliest attack in Kabul since the Taliban took control of Afghanistan with the chaotic departure of the last US troops on August 31. 

Daesh had also claimed responsibility for the horrific bombing on August 26 that killed more than 169 Afghans and 13 US military personnel outside the Kabul airport, where thousands of people were trying to reach the airport to escape Taliban rule.

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Protests against Taliban's policies

The world has been watching whether the Taliban will live up to their initial promises of tolerance and inclusiveness toward women and ethnic minorities. 

However, Taliban actions so far, such as renewed restrictions on women and the appointment of an all-male government, have been met with dismay by the international community.

Protests against the Taliban's policies toward women continued on Tuesday, with a demonstration in a Kabul private school by female teachers and students who held up signs saying "Education is a right." 

The protest was held indoors to avoid backlash from the Taliban, who have recently outlawed demonstrations held without permission from the government.

The UN continued to sound the alarm about the country’s dire economic situation, saying a humanitarian crisis is imminent. 

The world body's children's agency warned that half of Afghanistan's children under age 5 are expected to suffer from severe malnutrition as hunger takes root amid serious food shortages.

"There are millions of people who are going to starve and there is winter coming, Covid raging, and the whole social system collapsed," said Omar Adbi, UNICEF’s deputy executive director for programmes, during a visit to a Kabul children’s hospital.

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