Taliban calls on Washington to close the chapter on war and return to Afghanistan and its "wealth"

Five years after the U.S. withdrawal, the Taliban regime is seeking to break its international isolation by calling on Washington to reopen its embassy, maintain a diplomatic presence, and invest in Afghanistan’s infrastructure and mineral wealth.

Afghan Foreign Minister Amir Khan Muttaqi said in an interview with The New York Times in Kabul yesterday: “We consider the chapter of war to be closed, and from now on, we want relationships based on mutual respect and a new chapter of positive engagement.”

The newspaper quoted Muttaqi as saying that the United States could “reopen its embassy, maintain a diplomatic presence, and invest” in Afghanistan’s vast mineral resources, dams, and roads.

The Pakistani news agency ANP reported that this public offer, the first from a senior Taliban official in years, represents the latest push in a long-standing effort by the Afghan government to lift the country out of isolation.