Taliban FM: Kabul soil will not be used to target other nations

The Taliban regime will soon send its diplomats to the Afghan mission in New Delhi to take forward relations, Taliban foreign minister Amir Khan Muttaqi said on Friday, even as he reiterated an assurance that no one will be allowed to use Afghanistan's soil to target other countries.

- Rezaul H Laskar

Muttaqi’s remarks at a news conference with a small group of Indian journalists were aimed at pushing the Taliban's pitch for formal recognition of its regime in Kabul — which has so far been accepted only by Russia ~ and at addressing India's longstanding concerns about Afghan territory being used by terrorist groups to launch attacks.

While inviting Indian businesses and investors to explore opportunities in sectors such as connectivity, minerals, energy and infrastructure, Muttaqi made it clear in the context of US President Donald Trump's recent demand for handing over the strategic Bagram airbase that the Talibat will never accept any foreign military presence in Afghanistan.

“The foreign minister [S Jais-hankar] said you can send diplomats to New Delhi now. When we go back, we will select people and send them,” Muttaqi said hours after his meeting with the external affairs minister.

“We will now send diplomats and gradually the contacts will increase,” he said, speaking in Urdu, in response to a question about the possible appointment of a Taliban envoy.