Qatar offers $500 million to Taliban after hosting its leaders

Qatar’s Foreign Minister Mohammed ben Abderrahmane Al‑Thani held a meeting with the head of the Taliban’s political bureau, Abdul Ghani Baradar, at the office’s headquarters before the latter left Doha for Afghanistan.

On Tuesday, CNN quoted an informed source from the Taliban movement as saying that Abdul Ghani Baradar, the founding partner of the Taliban and deputy leader of the movement’s political bureau, has returned to Kandahar province, Afghanistan for the first time in 20 years, along with a number of senior Taliban officials.

On Tuesday morning, a Taliban delegation headed by Baradar met with the Qatari Foreign Minister. The two sides reviewed the latest security and political developments in Afghanistan, the emphasis on the protection of civilians, the intensification of efforts necessary to achieve national reconciliation, the promotion of a comprehensive political settlement and a peaceful transition of power, while preserving the gains achieved by the Afghan people.

Another source said that it was also agreed during the meeting that Qatar will provide $500 million to the Taliban, allegedly for the reconstruction of Afghanistan, as the Taliban, according to political experts, is betting on Qatar for the necessary financial support that will allow it to run the country’s affairs in the post-Kabul period, an element that will strengthen the Qatari weight in Afghanistan, pending the success of the hard-line movement in reassuring the countries concerned about the Afghan file.

It is no secret that the movement has strong ties with the Qatari regime, which hosted negotiations between the Afghan authority and the Taliban over the past years aimed at the movement’s participation in the government. This has put Doha in an embarrassing position because of its constant support for the extremist movement, as the Taliban opened an office in Qatar, which the Afghan government objected to on more than one occasion. Officials described the goal of the movement as propaganda and other purposes in its favor.

For more than a decade, the world has accused Qatar of supporting terrorism and funding extremist groups in order to implement a foreign agenda to destabilize the Middle East, in exchange for the ruling family’s longest stay at the helm of the American Court.

A number of reports revealed Doha’s links with terrorist organizations, including the Taliban, prompting international media to warn that Qatar is exploiting its ties with the Taliban to achieve its most dangerous goal, which is to bring the Muslim Brotherhood terrorist organization back to the international arena.

Qatar’s multiple mediation in any negotiations with the international community proves the multiple services it has provided to the Taliban in order to return to the scene once again, after years of fleeing in the jungles of Tora Bora and considering it internationally a high-risk group with its militant ideas and ideology.

Observers believe that the hard-line movement, which faced off against opponents with different titles, will work to reward its Qatari friends, who sheltered and supported it, and opened diplomatic channels to it with various major powers, pointing out that the most important gain for Doha is its recognition as a successful mediator in relations with the Taliban, which might revive its efforts to speak on behalf of Islamist movements in other regions.