WASHINGTON, September 1. /TASS/. The United States may continue to engage with the Taliban movement (outlawed in Russia), US Department of State Spokesperson Ned Price said at a briefing.
"In terms of our engagement with the Taliban, obviously, it continued until the end of the US military mission," he noted. "Our team in Doha is already there. The team that had been there had also been in regular contact with Afghan stakeholders, including representatives of the Taliban, on a regular basis to discuss deconfliction and tactical operations, including to effect the safe passage of American citizens, of at-risk Afghans, and third-country nationals to the airport," Price added. "And now that we are in a new phase, we’ll be in a position to describe that engagement going forward in the coming days as well," he said.
On August 30, the United States wrapped up its evacuation of civilians from Kabul and its entire military mission in Afghanistan. The decision to end the American military campaign in Afghanistan that had kicked off in October 2001 and turned out to be America’s longest war overseas was announced by US President Joe Biden on April 14. Following the US decision, the Taliban radical militant group stepped up its offensive across the country and seized full control of the Afghan capital of Kabul on August 15, without encountering any resistance.