CIA director met secretly with Taliban leader in Kabul: report
By Jordan Williams - 08/24/21 07:21 AM EDT
CIA Director William Burns met with the Taliban’s leader, Abdul Ghani Baradar, on Monday, U.S. officials familiar with the matter told The Washington Post.
The Post reported that discussions likely involved the Aug. 31 deadline for the U.S. to conclude evacuating U.S. citizens and Afghanistan allies.
A CIA spokesperson declined to comment on the reported meeting to The Hill. The Hill has also reached out White House for comment.
On Monday, State Department spokesperson Ned Price addressed why U.S. officials hadn't engaged Baradar, saying that discussions thus far had been "tactical."
"It is largely a function of the fact that our discussions with the Taliban have been operational. They have been tactical. They have been focused on – focused largely on our near-term operations and our near-term goals," Price said.
more
https://thehill.com/policy/international/middle-east-north-africa/569111-cia-director-met-secretly-with-taliban-leader
