Qatari Foreign Minister, Mohammed bin Abdulrahman al-Thani, has during a recent visit to Kandahar held talks with the Taliban supreme leader, Mullah Hibatullah Akhundzada, Reuters reports.
The Qatari chief diplomat, who is also the Persian Gulf state’s Prime Minister, reportedly discussed the group’s relationship with the international community and restrictions on women and girls.
Citing from an anonymous source, Reuters states that the meeting was held on 12 May in the southern Kandahar province, where the Taliban’s leadership is based.
This is the first report of a foreign government official meeting the Taliban’s reclusive leader, who is yet to appear in public.
Reuters reports the two men also discussed Afghanistan’s humanitarian crisis, with three quarters of the population dependent on aid for survival.
The US government according to Reuters, had been made aware of the meeting.
