An Islamic Emirate delegation currently in Iran, led by acting Foreign Minister Amir Khan Muttaqi, has met with Ahmad Massoud, leader of the Resistance Front, and Ismail Khan, the former governor of Herat province.
“Yes, we met with Ahmad Massoud, Commander Ismail Khan and other Afghans. We assured all of them that they can come back and live an unworried life,” Muttaqi said in a video posted by Mohammad Naeem, a spokesman for the Islamic Emirate’s Qatar-based office.
Iranian media, quoting the spokesman of Iran’s foreign ministry, Saeed Khatibzada, reported that Tehran hosted the meeting, adding that the Afghan parties had good discussions.
Meanwhile, Taliban confirmed on Monday said they held talks over the weekend with senior leaders of an anti-Taliban alliance.
The meeting was the first of its kind, underscoring Taliban efforts to bring their former opponents into the fold. The alliance, known as the National Resistance Front, is led by Ahmed Massoud, the son of the anti-Taliban fighter Ahmad Shah Massoud, who was assassinated in 2001.
The group coalesced after the Taliban swept into Kabul in mid-August as the Afghan government fled and Afghan forces offered little or no resistance to the Taliban takeover. Ahmed Massoud was joined by former governor of western Herat province, Ismail Khan.
Sunday’s meeting in Tehran is one of the first signs of rapprochement between the Taliban and their opponents.
Several prominent leaders of previous U.S.-backed Afghan governments, including former President Hamid Karzai and the ex-head of the National Reconciliation Council, Abdullah Abdullah, remained in Kabul following the Taliban takeover. Tolonews
