Qatar’s Taliban efforts position Doha as a key mediator: Analysts

Qatar is positioned to be the first contact point for regional and international players who want to engage the Taliban.

Qatar’s move to act as a mediator between the Taliban’s political leaders and former Afghan officials has solidified the Gulf state as a regional power broker, analysts say. Over the past year, Qatar has hosted talks between the Taliban and the Afghan government, and before that, between the Taliban and the United States as Washington hashed out the terms of its withdrawal from Afghanistan and an end to its 20-year war. Top Taliban political leader Mullah Abdul Ghani Baradar returned to Afghanistan this week from his residence in Qatar.