US official: American, Taliban officials to talk on evacuees

Afghans watch as Taliban fighters ride atop a humvee after detaining four men who got involved in a street fight in Kabul, Afghanistan, Tuesday, Sept. 21, 2021. The Taliban are promising a return of some of their harsh punishments that made them notorious. That has many Afghans afraid, but some also say they are giving the Taliban a chance if it means greater stability and fewer corrupt officials reaching into their pockets. (AP Photo/Felipe Dana)

WASHINGTON (AP) — A U.S. official says Americans will meet with senior Taliban officials for talks to ease evacuations of foreign nationals and some Afghans from Afghanistan.

The focus of talks Saturday and Sunday in Doha, Qatar, will be holding Afghanistan’s Taliban leaders to commitments that they would allow Americans and other foreign nationals to leave the country.

The U.S. official spoke on condition of anonymity because the person was not authorized to speak by name about the meetings.

The Biden administration has fielded questions and complaints about the slow pace of U.S.-sanctioned evacuations from Taliban-ruled Afghanistan since the last U.S. forces and diplomats left there at the end of August.

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