July 7, 2021: The Iranian Foreign Ministry said a delegation from the Afghan government met with Taliban representatives in Tehran on Wednesday, when the Islamic Army stepped up power during the withdrawal of US troops.
Initiating talks in Tehran, Iranian Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif welcomed the departure of his US enemy from the eastern border but warned: “Today, the people and political leaders of Afghanistan want to make difficult decisions for the future of their country. … Leading negotiator Sher Mohammad Abbas Stanikzai led the Taliban delegation, while former Vice President Younis Qanuni represented the government, the Iranian ministry said.
Zarif praised the “defeat” of US troops after two decades of war, which caused “massive damage” but warned of “the negative consequences of continuing the conflict in Afghanistan.” Iran hosts millions of Afghan refugees and migrant workers and is deeply concerned about the growing unrest in the neighboring country. Zarif called on the warring parties in Afghanistan to return to the negotiating table, calling the commitment to political solutions “the best choice for Afghan leaders and political movements.”
“We are proud to stand with our great Afghan brothers and sisters during the jihad against the foreign occupiers,” he added in a video excerpt from his speech released by the ministry. On Tuesday, Afghan officials vowed to recapture all districts lost to the Taliban as the withdrawal of US troops nears completion. A day after more than 1,000 government troops fled to neighboring Tajikistan in the north, hundreds of commandos were deployed in the north to counter insurgent siege operations.
On Wednesday, the Taliban attacked Qala-e-Nawa, the provincial capital of Badghis, the first regional seat to enter since launching their latest operation, local officials said. The insurgents already control all the surrounding countryside in the western province.
Meanwhile, the US Central Command announced that President Joe Biden had ordered the withdrawal of US troops from the country in April, now more than 90 percent complete, and stressed that the war with the Taliban Afghan forces are growing on their own.
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