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Gulf states call for calm in Afghanistan following the Taliban takeover

Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates were two of the only three countries to recognize the Taliban the last time the Islamist group ruled Afghanistan.

Abdul Ghani Baradar
Mullah Abdul Ghani Baradar (C), the leader of the Taliban negotiating team, walks after the final declaration of failed peace talks between the Afghan government and the Taliban in Qatar's capital, Doha, on July 18, 2021. After the Taliban took control over Afghanistan, Baradar met on Aug. 17, 2021, in Doha with Qatari Foreign Minister Mohammed bin Abdulrahman Al Thani. Baradar, a co-founder of the Taliban, then flew to Kandahar, Afghanistan. — KARIM JAAFAR/AFP via Getty Images

Gulf states are calling for peace and dialogue in Afghanistan after the Taliban seized control of the capital, Kabul, amid the US military withdrawal. 

Qatari Foreign Minister Mohammed bin Abdulrahman Al Thani met with a Taliban delegation in Doha on Tuesday led by Mullah Abdul Ghani Baradar. Thani called for "protection of civilians," “national reconciliation” and a “peaceful transfer of power" during the meeting, according to a Qatari Foreign Ministry statement.  Baradar, a co-founder of the Taliban, then flew to Kandahar, Afghanistan, for his public visit to the country in two decades.

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