Intel: Qatar to represent US diplomatic interests in Afghanistan
Qatar will act as the formal diplomatic messenger between Afghanistan's Taliban leaders and Washington.
![US Secretary of State Antony Blinken delivers remarks following talks on the situation in Afghanistan.](/sites/default/files/styles/article_hero_medium/public/2021-11/GettyImages-1234967576.jpg?h=a5ae579a&itok=jRI7oFgj)
Qatar will formally represent US diplomatic interests in Afghanistan and help facilitate Washington’s engagement with the country’s new Islamist rulers, Secretary of State Blinken announced on Friday.
The tiny Gulf country will act as the “protecting power” for the United States in Afghanistan under an agreement signed Friday in Washington by Blinken and Qatari Foreign Minister Sheikh Mohammed bin Abdulrahman Al Thani.