The Taliban has expressed a desire to establish formal diplomatic relations with the United States, while calling on Washington to address issues stemming from its two-decade military involvement in Afghanistan.
Taliban spokesman Abdul Qahar Balkhi said Kabul wanted relations with all countries, including the US, and would welcome the reopening of the American Embassy in Afghanistan. He also said the Taliban was interested in attracting US investment in areas including minerals and natural gas.
Balkhi described the withdrawal of foreign forces in 2021 as Afghanistan’s major achievement under Taliban rule. He said the country had experienced improvements in security, trade, investment and infrastructure since the withdrawal.
He claimed Afghan exports had increased from around $750 million in 2020 to nearly $2 billion, while the number of factories had risen from about 1,500 to 6,000. He also said the government had continued paying public-sector employees and had attracted billions of dollars in investment.
However, Balkhi acknowledged that the authorities had not met public expectations in some areas. He pointed to high unemployment, economic difficulties and dissatisfaction among parts of the population.
Afghanistan remains diplomatically isolated, with Russia currently the only country to have formally recognised the Taliban government. Balkhi said Kabul was already maintaining diplomatic engagement with several countries and questioned the practical importance of formal recognition.
He also rejected US demands for the return of American military equipment left behind after the 2021 withdrawal. He argued that the equipment was now state property and opposed linking its return to the release of Afghan assets frozen overseas.
Balkhi further called for the release of Afghan central bank funds held abroad, saying the assets belonged to Afghanistan rather than the Taliban administration.
Addressing the anniversary of the September 11 attacks, he said the Taliban condemned attacks on civilians and reaffirmed its commitment under the Doha agreement that Afghan territory would not be used to launch attacks against the US or other countries.
The Taliban spokesman also defended restrictions on girls’ education, rejecting reports of underground schools and saying alternative arrangements such as homeschooling and religious education were available.
