According to two officials in the Administration, the U.S. will host a delegation in Doha that will meet with Taliban senior representatives on Saturday and sunday. It is their first encounter at a top level since Washington pulled out its troops in Afghanistan.

Officials said that the high-ranking U.S. delegation would include representatives from USAID, State Department and U.S. Intelligence Community. They will push the Taliban to allow safe passage for U.S. citizens, and other Afghans out of Afghanistan, and release Mark Frerichs who was kidnapped.

U.S. officials stated another top priority would be to force the Taliban into committing that they will not allow Afghanistan again to become a hotbed of al Qaeda and other extremists.

U.S. special representative Zalmay Khalilzad (who has led U.S. dialogues with Taliban over the years and played a central role in peace talks with this group) will not join the delegation.

The U.S. delegation will also include Tom West, the State Department’s Special Representative for State Department, and Sarah Charles (USAID’s top humanitarian official). Officials confirmed that cabinet members will attend the Taliban side.

According to a top administration official speaking under anonymity, “This meeting will continue the pragmatic engagements that we’ve been having ongoing on matters vital national interest,”

This meeting does not seek to confer legitimacy or recognition. The Taliban have to prove their legitimacy by taking responsibility for it. “They need to have a consistent track record.” said the official.

Two-decade-old US occupation of Afghanistan ended in an organized airlift that saw over 124,000 civilians, including Americans and Afghans, evacuated in the aftermath. However, thousands of Afghans who were allied with the U.S. and at high risk for Taliban persecution were not evacuated.

Washington and the West are facing difficult decisions when Afghanistan is in a humanitarian crisis. They have to decide how they will engage with Taliban, while simultaneously ensuring the flow of humanitarian aid into Afghanistan.

Afghans often sell their possessions in order to purchase ever more expensive food.

The United States and other international donors left the country without the funds that funded 75% public spending.

Although there were some improvements in humanitarian agents’ access to areas they hadn’t visited for a decade now, other problems persist, the U.S. official stated, noting that the U.S. would continue to press Taliban to make progress.

“Right now there are some access issues ….There’s a lot to do to ensure that female aid workers can access all areas unimpeded,” said the official. He also stated that Washington should see the Taliban improve on this issue “if it is to be able to provide more solid humanitarian assistance.”