The U.S. Department of state, responding to the Taliban’s calls for engagement, has said that Washington has no plans to engage with the group and, in particular, has no intention of doing business with or investing in the development of Afghanistan’s mining sector under the Taliban.
A State Department spokesperson, responding to questions from Voice of America’s Ashna Radio, said: “We have no program of engagement with the Taliban. In particular, we are not doing business with an internationally designated terrorist group to develop Afghanistan’s mineral resources.”
The U.S. Department of State has stressed that investing in Afghanistan’s mining sector under Taliban rule would contribute to further oppression of the Afghan people. According to the department, such investments would not only strengthen the Taliban financially but also support the continuation of what it described as the group’s “brutal and harsh treatment” of the population.
The remarks come after repeated calls from Taliban spokesperson Zabihullah Mujahid and Acting Foreign Minister Amir Khan Muttaqi for the United States to engage with the Taliban. Taliban officials have proposed that Washington reopen its embassy in Kabul and invest in Afghanistan’s mineral resources.
In recent remarks, the Taliban’s acting foreign minister also expressed the group’s readiness to welcome U.S. investment in Afghanistan’s mining sector, infrastructure, and other areas of the economy.
Writer:Saeed Sameer
