Hibatullah Akhundzada, the Taliban's secretive supreme leader, has said the government would "work hard towards upholding Islamic rules and sharia law".

Analysts describe Qatar's emergence as a broker in Afghanistan as a part of a carefully nurtured strategy by the tiny but rich state to bolster its own security, by becoming indispensable as a venue for international mediation.

Pakistan is not only Afghanistan’s immediate neighbour but has very deep historic, ethnic, religious and cultural ties with the country – sometimes described as a “Gordian knot”.

Fifteen Saudis were among the 19 hijackers in the plane attacks on the World Trade Center and the Pentagon, which left nearly 3,000 dead and were plotted by Saudi-born Al-Qaeda leader Osama bin Laden.

Wang also expressed hope that war-wracked Afghanistan can build a “broad and inclusive political structure” that is capable of moderate and stable domestic and foreign policy.

Blinken has said Washington will work with allies to exert diplomatic and economic leverage in Afghanistan even after the end of America's longest war.

The spokesperson for the bloc said that "such inclusivity and representation is expected in the composition of a future transitional government, and as result of negotiations".

Anyone with the basic knowledge of the regional geopolitical status quo will know that such ill-intentioned rhetoric will not change China-Pakistan cooperation or deter China’s possible participation in the reconstruction of Afghanistan, other than making more noises.

FM Qureshi was pleased to welcome the Foreign Minister’s of China, Iran, Tajikistan, Turkmenistan & Uzbekistan to the 1st Ministerial meeting of #Afghanistan’s neighbours. The positive & constructive response to Pakistan’s proposal for a regional approach was appreciated.

Khater said that since returning to power, the Taliban had largely left Afghan health authorities, including female medics, free to continue their coronavirus response.

It said the Taliban’s illegitimate government regime is a clear sign of the group’s enmity with the Afghan people and for that reason, the world community must not rush in to recognise an “occupier’s regime.”

In a wide-ranging television interview, Foreign Minister Mevlut Cavusoglu sounded a cautious note about Turkey's future relations with the fundamentalist Islamist group.