Trump Team Talks to Taliban in Major Geopolitical Shift
U.S. Special Envoy for Prisoner Affairs and former Ambassador to Afghanistan, Zalmay Khalilzad, during his Kabul visit met Amir Khan Muttaqi (image credit X.com)
Taliban Free George Glezmann to Mend Ties with US
By TRH News Desk
New Delhi, March 20: In a major geopolitical development, the US established direct contacts with the Taliban regime in Afghanistan. To mend ties with the US, the Taliban released American tourist George Glezmann.
The Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the Taliban announced that the U.S. Special Envoy for Prisoner Affairs and former Ambassador to Afghanistan, Zalmay Khalilzad, during his Kabul visit met Amir Khan Muttaqi. They discussed the release of prisoners.
Zia Ahmad Takal, Deputy Spokesperson for the Taliban Ministry of Foreign Affairs, gave details of the meeting in a post on X. Takal said that “the discussion covered consular services to Afghan nationals in the US”.
“George Glezmann is free. George was wrongfully detained in Afghanistan for two and a half years, but now he’s on his way to be reunited with his wife Aleksandra. Welcome home, George,” posted Marco Rubio, the US Secretary of the State, said in a post on X.
“Mawlavi Amir Khan Muttaqi, the Foreign Minister of the Islamic Emirate of Afghanistan (IEA), met today with Adam Boehler, the U.S. Special Envoy for Prisoner Affairs, along with Khalilzad and an accompanying delegation,” said the Taliban in a media statement.
It stated that the “discussions focused on Afghanistan-U.S. bilateral relations, the release of prisoners, and the provision of consular services to Afghans in the United States”. “Minister Muttaqi welcomed the delegation, calling their visit a positive step in strengthening mutual ties,” it added.
Muttaqi was quoted having told the US delegation that Afghanistan “seeks balanced and constructive relations with all countries”. “Dialogue remains the best way to resolve issues between Afghanistan and the US,” he said.
The Taliban leaders told the US delegation that “both nations should move beyond the past 20 years of war and foster political and economic cooperation”. Boehler welcomed the progress on prisoner affairs. He said the release of the prisoner is a trust-building measure.
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The US and Afghanistan discussed “efforts in counter-narcotics and security”. Boehler stressed on continued dialogue to strengthen ties.
Khamma Press in a report said that the meeting took place at a time when “Dorothy Shea, the Acting US Ambassador to the United Nations, said that Washington is distrustful of the Taliban”. Shea was quoted having said that “normalizing relations with the Taliban will be impossible”.
“The ongoing dialogue, particularly regarding prisoners and consular services, could serve as a foundation for future engagements,” said the Khamma Press in its report.
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