Qatar may struggle to deliver the revamped Taliban it hyped

Qatar's ties to the Taliban and other Islamist groups have long been a source of tension with its neighbors and concern for its Western allies

As the Taliban closed in on Kabul and tens of thousands of people overwhelmed its airport, it was the small Gulf state of Qatar that first opened its doors to evacuees, fast establishing itself as the West’s main line of communication to an organization best known for harboring Osama bin Laden.  
 

The U.S. and U.K. have since moved their Afghanistan embassies to Doha, its critical role lauded by U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken and Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin -- both visiting this week. Yet a relationship painstakingly nurtured over the past decade could quickly become a liability for Qatar