The US expressed its continued worry over the state of human rights and once more urged the Taliban to lift their restrictions on women's employment and secondary education. Following two days of negotiations in Qatar, the U.S. State Department reported that American representatives informed the Taliban in Afghanistan that Washington is willing to engage
in technical conversations about maintaining economic stability and combating drug trafficking.
No country has formally recognized the Taliban since the Islamist militant movement returned to power in Afghanistan in 2021 when US-led foreign forces withdrew in chaos after a 20-year conflict.