Taliban rules out cooperation with U.S. against Daesh

Taliban political spokesman Suhail Shaheen told The Associated Press the Taliban will independently deal with extremist groups such as the Islamic State (IS) group.

“We are able to tackle Daesh independently,” Shaheen stated, using an Arabic acronym for the group.

The position comes ahead of talks between senior Taliban officials and U.S. officials in Doha, Qatar. This is the first direct talks the two groups will have since the U.S. evacuated Afghanistan in August, with the U.S. noting that these talks are not a sign the Taliban will be recognized by the U.S.

Daesh has taken responsibility for a number of attacks in Afghanistan, including a suicide bombing that killed tens of Shiite Muslims and wounded dozens as they prayed in a mosque in Kunduz.

The meetings in Qatar will take place on Saturday and Sunday where the officials are expected to discuss terrorism and evacuations of more Americans and Afghan allies.

Two senior administration officials told Reuters that Tom West, deputy special representative for Afghanistan reconciliation with the State Department, and Sarah Charles, assistant to the administrator of USAID’s Bureau for Humanitarian Assistance, are some of the individuals expected to be at the meetings.