We Are Engaging With Taliban To Advance US Interests, Says US State Department

A US State Department spokesperson said that Washington has the ability to engage with "designated terrorist groups" to advance US interests.

Matthew Miller said that the US has engaged with various groups, including the Taliban and Tahrir al-Sham, to advance its interests.

Asked at a news conference on Tuesday (December 17) whether Washington has interacted with groups such as the Taliban, ISIS and al-Qaeda in the past, Miller said, "We have that capability. But I am not aware of any interaction with al-Qaeda."

The US State Department spokesperson added, "We are engaging with the Taliban to advance the interests of the United States, and we are also interacting with Tahrir al-Sham, to find and bring back Austin Tice, an American journalist."

The US State Department had previously said that Washington continues to designate the Taliban as a "global terrorist organisation”. The ministry also stressed that it would not hesitate to engage with the Taliban for the benefit of the United States.

While the US and UN officials have repeatedly emphasised on engagement with the Taliban government, the policy remains controversial among Afghans.

Many Afghan human rights activists and politicians find it unacceptable to engage with a group that systematically violates the rights of citizens, especially women.