Taliban Terrorist Leaders Touch Down in Oslo to Woo Humanitarian Donors

Representatives of Afghanistan’s unelected Taliban government continued talks in Norway on Monday trying to build support for their rule while gaining access to billions in funds they say are needed to help ward off starvation.

The terrorist negotiators arrived by private jet from Kabul over the weekend ahead of the talks.

Since the Taliban seized control of Afghanistan in August 2021, the country’s prosperity and quality of life has plummeted with the United Nations reporting some 23 million Afghans are facing hunger (55 percent of their population) and “10 million children across Afghanistan urgently need humanitarian assistance to survive”, France 24 reports.

Afghanistan’s humanitarian crisis has been caused by other nations withdrawing their international aid due to concerns it would finance the Taliban’s atrocities, rather than reach the people most in need.

This has been catastrophic for Afghanistan as “80 percent” of their public spending budget – for services like schools or public hospitals – came from foreign aid. It has also been reported that government employees have not had their salaries paid, and the country is on the verge of collapse.

Talks began between the Taliban delegation and European nations on Sunday the 23rd of January and will continue for three days, and are being held at the Soria Moria Hotel, located just outside of Oslo.

The Taliban is expected to meet diplomats from the United States, United Kingdom, France, Germany, Norway, Italy and the European Union, and the talks will take place behind closed doors.

U.S. Special Representative Thomas West emphasised on social media how much he is looking forward to the exchange of ideas, saying: “As we seek to address humanitarian crisis together with allies, partners, and relief orgs, we will continue clear-eyed diplomacy with the Taliban regarding our concerns and our abiding interest in a stable, rights-respecting and inclusive Afghanistan.”

Afghanistan’s Foreign Minister Amir Khan Muttaqi leads the Taliban’s delegation and is expected to ask the U.S. to unfreeze almost $10 billion in assets in the Afghan central bank.

The Taliban is also expected to ask for $4.4 billion in immediate aid to help avoid mass starvation which has been intensified by an ongoing drought in the region.

The United States has already given Taliban-controlled Afghanistan more than $780 million in financial aid and 3.3 million coronavirus vaccinations, since the U.S.’ military withdrawal in August 2021.

At the same time Islamic nations around the world have refused to recognise the Taliban controlled Afghanistan government as a legitimate power, with the 57-nation member Organisation of Islamic Cooperation (OIC) – whose members includes Saudi Arabia, Iraq and the United Arab Emirates – declining to work with the Kabul government.

One of the main reservations Western nations have about engaging with the Taliban is concerns about the Taliban’s treatment of women.

Despite claiming they have modernised, the Taliban has reintroduced oppressive Sharia law, enslaved some women as sex slaves or forced them into unwanted marriages with Taliban fighters, reintroduced head coverings, and barred most girls from secondary school education.

Likewise, the Taliban delegation to Norway consisted of 15 men, with no women being present, which somewhat undermines their modernising claims.

Diplomats say it is likely that whatever aid is offered to Afghanistan from Western nations will have stipulations attached to it, such as a demand for more rights for Afghanistan’s women.