Taliban, CIA To Boost Anti-IS-KP Efforts in Upcoming Doha Meeting

Top Afghan Taliban intelligence officials are scheduled to meet with the US Central Intelligence Agency (CIA) in Doha next month, though the exact date remains unconfirmed.

Reliable sources in Kabul and Peshawar told The Media Line, “The primary agenda of the meeting will center on bolstering collaboration and broadening the scope of US over-the-horizon unmanned aerial systems operations within Afghan airspace.”

The sources added, “The crucial meeting has been convened at the behest of the CIA, with Qatar’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs overseeing its arrangements.”

Mullah Abdul Haq Wasiq, head of the Taliban’s intelligence services, will lead an Afghan delegation that includes senior officials like Mullah Noor Ul Haq Noor.

Besides his role as a senior negotiator for the Taliban, Noor is recognized for his negotiation skills and expertise in dealing with US intelligence.

Wasiq, the delegation leader, was detained at the US Guantanamo Bay Naval Base (Gitmo) for several years for hostile acts against US forces. He was one of five prisoners exchanged in 2014 for US soldier Robert “Bowe” Bergdahl, who was captured by the Taliban in 2009.

Syed Abdul Rahim, a former senior intelligence official during Hamid Karzai’s administration, told The Media Line, “US State Department officials will also participate in these pivotal meetings.”

He also stated, “A main objective for US officials is to counter the growing activities of IS-KP [Islamic State – Khorasan Province] in the region, as they believe the Taliban can effectively oppose IS-KP.”

He further claimed, “The Taliban’s intelligence chief recently visited London and met with the MI-6 chief.”