Taliban are a ‘reality’ in Afghanistan: Germany

A German delegation has said that the country would continue its aid to Afghanistan, the Taliban said in a statement on Monday.

The German special representative for Afghanistan and Pakistan, Jasper Wieck, and the country’s ambassador-designate for Afghanistan, Markus Potzel, met the Taliban delegation led by the hard-line Islamist group’s Foreign Minister Amir Khan Muttaqi in Doha, Qatar.

The German delegation has called the new Taliban government in Afghanistan a “reality,” and added that the country would continue its relationship with Afghanistan, the statement read.

The Taliban told the German officials that they were committed to ensuring the security of the foreign diplomats and aid agencies.

The delegation, according to the Taliban, has agreed that such meetings would be continued in the future as well.

The Taliban’s meeting with German officials comes a day after they met a high-ranking US delegation in the same location, requesting humanitarian aid and “better” diplomatic relations.

Muttaqi on Saturday said that in the meeting his side requested that the US unfreeze Afghanistan’s assets.

Following the Taliban takeover in August, the US froze close to 9 billion dollars worth of assets in the country.

The move led to a drastic shortage of currency, as well as spikes in the price of basic food items and fuel.

There are growing concerns that the country’s economy and health system are on the brink of collapse. The UN recently warned 1 million Afghan children are at risk of starvation as winter approaches.