Qatar's Prime Minister Mohammed bin Abdulrahman met Taliban leader Haibatullah Akhundzada last month. Reuters
Qatar's Prime Minister Mohammed bin Abdulrahman met Taliban leader Haibatullah Akhundzada last month. Reuters
Qatar's Prime Minister Mohammed bin Abdulrahman met Taliban leader Haibatullah Akhundzada last month. Reuters
Qatar's Prime Minister Mohammed bin Abdulrahman met Taliban leader Haibatullah Akhundzada last month. Reuters

Qatar's Prime Minister meets Taliban leader in Afghanistan


  • English
  • Arabic

Qatar's Prime Minister met the supreme leader of the Taliban in Afghanistan last month, the first publicly known meeting between the group's reclusive head and a foreign official.

Sheikh Mohammed bin Abdulrahman, also the Foreign Minister of Qatar, visited Haibatullah Akhundzada on May 12 in Kandahar, where the Taliban was started, Al Jazeera English reported on Wednesday.

The state-owned broadcaster said the meeting was aimed at finding ways to end the Taliban's international isolation, without offering details.

US President Joe Biden's administration was briefed on the talks and is “co-ordinating on all issues discussed” by the pair, including furthering dialogue with the Taliban, according to a source who spoke to Reuters.

The source said other issues Sheikh Mohammed raised with Mr Akhunzada included the need to end Taliban bans on girls' education and women's employment.

Sheikh Mohammed bin Abdulrahman meets the Taliban's Mohammad Hassan Akhund in Kabul. AFP
Sheikh Mohammed bin Abdulrahman meets the Taliban's Mohammad Hassan Akhund in Kabul. AFP

Qatari government officials declined to discuss the meeting. The Taliban did not respond to requests for comment regarding the meeting. The US State Department declined to comment.

It is unclear what effect such a meeting will have. The Taliban seized Afghanistan in August 2021 as US and Nato troops were in the final weeks of their pullout from the country after 20 years of war.

In the time since, Afghanistan has become the most repressive country in the world for women and girls, depriving them of virtually all their basic rights. According to the UN, hunger remains endemic.

Taliban fighters also exchanged gunfire with Iranian border guards on Saturday.

Qatar, which hosts a major US military base in the region, served as a crucial point for those fleeing the Taliban in the chaotic days of the American withdrawal from Afghanistan.

Qatar also hosts a Taliban political office and was the venue for talks between the group and then US president Donald Trump's administration.

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Which honey takes your fancy?

Al Ghaf Honey

The Al Ghaf tree is a local desert tree which bears the harsh summers with drought and high temperatures. From the rich flowers, bees that pollinate this tree can produce delicious red colour honey in June and July each year

Sidr Honey

The Sidr tree is an evergreen tree with long and strong forked branches. The blossom from this tree is called Yabyab, which provides rich food for bees to produce honey in October and November. This honey is the most expensive, but tastiest

Samar Honey

The Samar tree trunk, leaves and blossom contains Barm which is the secret of healing. You can enjoy the best types of honey from this tree every year in May and June. It is an historical witness to the life of the Emirati nation which represents the harsh desert and mountain environments

Zakat definitions

Zakat: an Arabic word meaning ‘to cleanse’ or ‘purification’.

Nisab: the minimum amount that a Muslim must have before being obliged to pay zakat. Traditionally, the nisab threshold was 87.48 grams of gold, or 612.36 grams of silver. The monetary value of the nisab therefore varies by current prices and currencies.

Zakat Al Mal: the ‘cleansing’ of wealth, as one of the five pillars of Islam; a spiritual duty for all Muslims meeting the ‘nisab’ wealth criteria in a lunar year, to pay 2.5 per cent of their wealth in alms to the deserving and needy.

Zakat Al Fitr: a donation to charity given during Ramadan, before Eid Al Fitr, in the form of food. Every adult Muslim who possesses food in excess of the needs of themselves and their family must pay two qadahs (an old measure just over 2 kilograms) of flour, wheat, barley or rice from each person in a household, as a minimum.

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7.05pm: Handicap $60,000 1,400m
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Winner: Folkswood, William Buick, Charlie Appleby

8.50pm: Zabeel Mile Group 2 $250,000 1,600m
Winner: Janoobi, Jim Crowley, Mike de Kock

9.25pm: Handicap $125,000 1,600m
Winner: Capezzano, Mickael Barzalona, Salem bin Ghadayer

The specs

AT4 Ultimate, as tested

Engine: 6.2-litre V8

Power: 420hp

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Transmission: 10-speed automatic

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Jumanji: The Next Level

Director: Jake Kasdan

Stars: Dwayne Johnson, Kevin Hart, Karen Gillan, Jack Black, Nick Jonas 

Two out of five stars 

New UK refugee system

 

  • A new “core protection” for refugees moving from permanent to a more basic, temporary protection
  • Shortened leave to remain - refugees will receive 30 months instead of five years
  • A longer path to settlement with no indefinite settled status until a refugee has spent 20 years in Britain
  • To encourage refugees to integrate the government will encourage them to out of the core protection route wherever possible.
  • Under core protection there will be no automatic right to family reunion
  • Refugees will have a reduced right to public funds
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Queen

Nicki Minaj

(Young Money/Cash Money)

White hydrogen: Naturally occurring hydrogenChromite: Hard, metallic mineral containing iron oxide and chromium oxideUltramafic rocks: Dark-coloured rocks rich in magnesium or iron with very low silica contentOphiolite: A section of the earth’s crust, which is oceanic in nature that has since been uplifted and exposed on landOlivine: A commonly occurring magnesium iron silicate mineral that derives its name for its olive-green yellow-green colour

The specs: 2018 Jaguar E-Pace First Edition

Price, base / as tested: Dh186,480 / Dh252,735

Engine: 2.0-litre four-cylinder

Power: 246hp @ 5,500rpm

Torque: 365Nm @ 1,200rpm

Transmission: Nine-speed automatic

Fuel consumption, combined: 7.7L / 100km

UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
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MATCH INFO

Real Madrid 2

Vinicius Junior (71') Mariano (90 2')

Barcelona 0

Updated: June 01, 2023, 8:00 AM