Taliban team expected in Oslo for aid talks: Norway

Oslo: A Taliban delegation will hold talks with Western officials in Oslo next week on human rights and humanitarian aid, the Norwegian Foreign Ministry said on Friday during its first official visit to the West since returning to power. The visit, which runs from Sunday to Tuesday, will include “meetings with Norwegian officials and officials from several allied countries”, including the United Kingdom, the European Union, France, Germany, Italy and the United States.

Norwegian Foreign Minister Anniken Huitfeldt said: “We are deeply concerned about the dire situation in Afghanistan, where millions of people are facing a complete humanitarian catastrophe.”

The Taliban regained power in Afghanistan last summer as international forces withdrew after a two-decade presence. The Taliban was overthrown by a US-led invasion in late 2001, following the September 11, 2001, attacks on the United States.

The humanitarian situation in Afghanistan has deteriorated since August. International aid abruptly stopped, and the United States froze افغان 9.5 billion (8.4 billion euros) in Afghan central bank assets.