UK Envoy Meets Taliban Officials in Kabul to Discuss Migrant Crisis
Richard Lindsay, the United Kingdom’s special envoy for Afghanistan, met on Tuesday in Kabul with Mawlawi Abdul Kabir, a senior Taliban official, to discuss the conditions of returning migrants and the escalating humanitarian crisis in Afghanistan.
During the meeting, Mr. Lindsay welcomed the recent agreement between the Taliban administration and Pakistan, expressing hope that both sides would take joint steps toward achieving a lasting ceasefire. This comes amid widespread international criticism over Pakistan’s forced deportations and denial of voluntary return to Afghan refugees.
The UK envoy also warned that the return of thousands of migrants, along with recent natural disasters such as earthquakes and floods, has significantly increased humanitarian needs in Afghanistan. He called for urgent attention to the worsening situation.
In response, Mawlawi Abdul Kabir claimed that the Taliban administration is utilizing all available resources to address the conditions of returning migrants and emphasized the construction of residential settlements as a necessary measure. According to the Ministry of Refugees and Repatriation, the Taliban official has called on the UK to assist in building these housing communities.
Such meetings are taking place as the Taliban, despite lacking international recognition, seeks to leverage the migrant crisis as an opportunity to garner support from Western countries—an effort that, according to critics, has yet to result in concrete policy action from the group.
