Qatar is in the process of finalising a new security cooperation agreement with the Taliban under which it will pay the salaries of Afghan soldiers and provide them with uniforms. It is not clear whether it will merely subsidise the wages or pay them in full.
The decision was made during acting Afghan Defence Minister Mohammad Yaqoob Mujahid’s two-day trip to Doha last week, wherein he met with Qatari Emir Tamim bin Hamad Al Thani and representatives of the Qatari Ministry of Defence.
Mujahid said the deal will allow Afghan forces to “secure the borders” and thus thanked Qatar for its continued support, saying it has helped Afghanistan “in the past” as well.
HH the Amir meets the Defense Minister in Afghan caretaker government. #QNA https://t.co/oN7Z5exM2s pic.twitter.com/PnTZHnHbWg
— Qatar News Agency (@QNAEnglish) July 6, 2022
In this regard, he noted, “There will be a security pact, based on which the two countries will cooperate with each other.”
Aside from addressing security concerns, the deal also lowers the bills of the Taliban government, which recently announced a $500 million deficit. Furthermore, it has close to $10 billion in frozen assets.
Despite this effusive public support for the deal, however, sources cited by Khaama News Press Agency said the Taliban delegation was concerned that the deal could jeopardise the independence of the Afghan National Security Forces. Keeping this in mind, Mujahid revealed that the viability of the agreement will now be assessed by other Taliban leaders.
Meanwhile, according to Torek Farhadi, a political analyst quoted by Qatari local media, the agreement with the Taliban complies with the “wants” of Western powers for the Taliban to introduce reforms.
In fact, Further, Aziz Maarij, a former Qatari diplomat, said that as a strategic partner of the United States (US), Doha would implement the “instructions” and “goals” of Washington. However, he raised concern that the details of the meeting and the agreement have not been made public.
Spoke with Qatar’s Minister of Foreign Affairs @MBA_AlThani_ today. I thanked him for Qatar’s continued assistance with Iran and Afghanistan diplomacy, as well as Qatar’s support for Lebanon.
— Secretary Antony Blinken (@SecBlinken) July 4, 2022
Earlier this month, Mujahid also met with the deputy Qatari Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Mohammed bin Abdulrahman Al-Thani. According to a press release by the Qatari government, the pair discussed the developments in Afghanistan and highlighted the importance of achieving “national reconciliation in Afghanistan” and ensuring the rights and freedoms of the Afghan people.
Meanwhile, according to the Afghan Defence Ministry, Mujahid called for enhanced cooperation with Qatar.
Qatar has played a key role in the Taliban’s negotiations with the former West-backed government and the international community as a whole. It acted as a mediator in the negotiations that led to the withdrawal of Western forces and has held a number of negotiations between the Taliban and world powers the group’s takeover last August.
If true, this is a pretty significant diplomatic win for the UAE, edging out Turkey and/or Qatar in this pivotal role. As with all things Taliban, though, it comes with significant potential risks though. Because, maniacs. https://t.co/ozMEZB0y7P
— Hussein Ibish (@Ibishblog) July 7, 2022
For instance, last month, acting Afghan Foreign Minister Amir Khan Muttaqi met with United States officials in Doha to discuss the release of $9 billion of Afghan funds that remain frozen due to US-imposed sanctions.
Doha also provided Afghanistan with aid following its 5.9 magnitude earthquake last month, which killed over 1,000 people and injured more than 1,500.
The deal between Qatar and Afghanistan comes just days after the United Arab Emirates (UAE) signed a deal with the Taliban to oversee the management of the Kabul airport as well as other airports in the country.
Meanwhile, Asadullah Nadim, another political analyst, said the deal will help Afghanistan confront the “ominous plans of Pakistan and Iran. While Pakistan has accused the Taliban of providing a safe haven for the Pakistani Taliban to launch attacks on Pakistan from Afghan soil, the Taliban has said Pakistani counterterrorism operations in border regions violate Afghanistan’s sovereignty.