Taliban agrees to let Afghans leave after August 31 deadline: Report

News agency AFP reported on Wednesday that the Taliban has agreed to let Afghanistan nationals be evacuated from the country after the August 31 deadline. The news agency cited Germany’s ambassador to Afghanistan while making the statement.

 

Markus Potzel said on Twitter he had met with Taliban deputy chief negotiator Sher Mohammad Abbas Stanikzai, who had “assured me that Afghans with legal documents will continue to have the opportunity to travel on commercial flights after 31 August”.

 

Britain on Wednesday warned the Taliban against attempts to coercively seal off Afghanistan from the rest of the world and urged the militant group to keep its borders open.

 

Meanwhile, China has established its first diplomatic contact with the Taliban in Kabul after the militant group took control of Afghanistan and the two sides now have “unimpeded and effective communication”, a Chinese official said on Wednesday.

 

The Taliban seized power in Afghanistan on August 15, two weeks before the US was set to complete its troop withdrawal after a costly two-decade war.

 

“China and the Afghan Taliban have unimpeded and effective communication and consultation,” Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesman Wang Wenbin told a media briefing here when asked about the talks between the deputy head of the Taliban's political office Abdul Salam Hanafi and Chinese Ambassador to Afghanistan Wang Yu in Kabul.

 

“Kabul is naturally an important platform and channel for us to discuss key issues," Wang said, without disclosing the details.

 

"China respects the Afghan people's independent decision on their own future and destiny, supports the implementation of the Afghan-led and Afghan-owned principle, and stands ready to continue to develop good-neighbourly relations of friendship and cooperation with Afghanistan and play a constructive role in the peace and reconstruction of the country,” he said.

 

China along with Pakistan and Russia kept its embassy open in Kabul while India, the US and other countries closed down their diplomatic missions after the Taliban took control of Kabul on August 15.

 

Since the Taliban entry into Kabul which had caught the world by surprise resulting in large-scale evacuations by the US and its allies, China which had hosted a Taliban delegation headed by Mullah Abdul Ghani Baradar last month remained calm and called for an inclusive government in Kabul.

 

Meanwhile, the World Bank has paused $940-million disbursements to its projects in Afghanistan, citing concern about the Taliban government’s impact on development prospects, particularly for women.