August 25, 2021
1 min read

CIA boss held secret meeting with Taliban leader in Kabul

The discussion gives a sense of the extent of the wrangling happening ahead of the end of America’s two-decade war in the country….reports Asian Lite News

Central Intelligence Agency (CIA) director William Burns held a secret meeting with top Taliban leader Abdul Ghani Baradar in Kabul on Monday in what is being seen as the highest level contact between President Joe Biden’s administration and Afghanistan’s new rulers.

While details of Burns’ discussion with Baradar were not released, the secret meeting represented an extraordinary moment for the CIA that for two decades had targeted the Taliban in paramilitary operations. And it gives a sense of the extent of the wrangling happening ahead of the end of America’s two-decade war in the country.

The CIA partnered with Pakistani forces to arrest Baradar in 2010. He spent eight years in a Pakistani prison before the Trump administration persuaded Islamabad to release him in 2018 ahead of peace talks.

The Washington Post first reported Burns’ meeting with Baradar in Kabul. A US official later confirmed the report on condition of anonymity. A Taliban spokesman said he was not aware if Baradar met the CIA chief.

In Moscow, President Vladimir Putin said on Tuesday Russia would not interfere in Afghanistan and that Moscow had learned from the Soviet occupation of the country.

“We’re not going to meddle in Afghanistan’s domestic affairs or involve our military in a conflict where everyone is against each other,” Putin said at a gathering of officials from the ruling United Russia party. “The Soviet Union had its own experience in this country. We have learned the lessons we needed,” he said.

Moscow had invaded Afghanistan in late 1979 to support a communist government. The decade-long war there left up to two million Afghans dead and forced seven million more from their homes.

Putin’s comments about Afghanistan came after Russia’s foreign minister Sergei Lavrov said that US forces were “pawning off” Afghans fleeing the Taliban to Moscow-allied Central Asia.

ALSO READ: Biden mulls troops deployment in Afghanistan beyond Aug 31

Previous Story

US lawmakers urge Biden to extend August 31 withdrawal deadline

Next Story

Harris in Vietnam as Afghan debacle rumbles

Latest from -Top News

‘Kill and Dump’ Haunts Balochistan Again

The latest killings have reignited accusations of extrajudicial executions and the use of counterterrorism laws to cover up custodial deaths in Balochistan….reports Asian Lite News Concerns have deepened across Balochistan following the

‘ASEAN Expands, But Keeps Its Soul’

Malaysian Foreign Minister Mohamad Hasan urged ASEAN to uphold its unity and strategic resolve amid intensifying geopolitical tensions and mounting external pressures…reports Asian Lite News Consensus and inclusivity will remain the cornerstones

Bangladesh bends to beat Trump’s blow

Dhaka seeks compromise as Trump’s 35% tariff looms large over key exports; Washington urges worker protections, factory relocation to US…reports Asian Lite News Bangladesh has opened the second round of critical trade

China seethes as US lands F-35s in PH

As US F-35 jets land in the Philippines for the first time, Manila cements its frontline role in Washington’s power play against rising China….reports Asian Lite News The Philippines is rapidly cementing
Go toTop

Don't Miss

‘US doing everything to facilitate delivery of Afghanistan aid’

The humanitarian situation in Afghanistan has deteriorated drastically since the

Gun dealers openly selling US weapons seized by Taliban

After the US troops left Afghanistan, the Taliban amassed a