Taliban in Afghanistan relies on Qatar and Turkey for support

Bridging a trail to the Taliban may still contain risks for the future, including the capacity to aggravate one of the Middle East’s fault lines. Turkey and Qatar are closer to the region’s Islamist movements, which frequently creates tension with powers like Egypt, Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates. And these countries sees such groups as a major threat to their existential threat.

With the roll of unfortunate and desperate events at Taliban, the world's powers are now scrambling to exert influence in between of Islamist rulers. Amidst this chaos of two nations from the Arab and Muslim world have been emerging as key mediators and facilitators. These two are Qatar and Turkey.

Both the countries are highly capitalizing when it comes to early access to the Taliban. Key officials from both the sides are testing their gambling powers and riving the old furies in Middle East.

Dina Esfandiary, who is a senior adviser at the International Crisis Group mentions that Qatar in the Gulf have provided the lifeline for countries trying to exit. No-one has been able to do any major evacuation process out of Afghanistan without having a Qatari involved in some way or another.

She further adds that Afghanistan and the Taliban will be a significant victory for Qatar not just because it will show that they're able to mediate with the Taliban, but it makes them a serious player for the Western countries that are involved.

Taliban people have differently enhanced and developed their relations with Qatar and Turkey. Former US President Barack Obama's administration sought to end the war, Qatar hosted Taliban leaders to discuss peace efforts from 2011. Although, it has always been a controversial and chequered process.

Several people were disturbed and bothered by sight if Taliban flag hoisted in Doha suburbs. For the Qataris it helped develop a three-decades-long ambition for an autonomous foreign policy but on the other hand American feared their lives especially after American pull-out of Afghanistan in May.

Source: Afghanistan: Qatar and Turkey become Taliban’s lifeline to the outside world – Newsaroundworld.org