Taliban concludes talks in Oslo

Three days of meetings between Taliban officials, Western diplomats, and other delegates wrapped up on Tuesday in Norway without concrete progress. The closed-door talks marked the first for the Taliban in Europe since taking control of Afghanistan in August. The United Nations estimates about 23 million people, more than half of Afghanistan’s population, face severe hunger or starvation.

What was the focus of the talks? The Taliban is demanding the release of about $10 billion in cash from Afghanistan’s central bank. Western governments froze the funds after the group seized control of the country and insisted the Taliban must first increase rights for Afghan women and girls and share power with ethnic and religious groups. Afghanistan’s acting Foreign Minister Amir Khan Muttaqi said the discussions went well, adding that “such trips will bring us closer to the world.”

Dig deeper: Read Onize Ohikere’s report in World Tour about how Afghans are struggling to survive.