CIA director met Taliban leader in Kabul says US official

The director of the CIA met with the Taliban's top political leader in Kabul amid the ongoing effort to evacuate people fleeing their takeover of Afghanistan, a U.S. official said Tuesday.

The visit from William Burns on Monday came ahead of a planned meeting among leaders from the Group of Seven nations about the crisis in Afghanistan and a warning from Michelle Bachelet, the UN human rights chief, of credible reports of "summary executions" and restrictions on women in areas under Taliban control.

That's fuelling fears of what their rule might hold, a week before U.S. forces are set to withdraw. Bachelet urged the Human Rights Council to take "bold and vigorous action" to monitor the rights situation in Afghanistan in the wake of the Taliban's stunning takeover, as she sought to ensure that international attention on the country doesn't wane.

Taliban leaders have promised to restore security and tried to project an image of moderation, but many Afghans are skeptical and are racing to the leave the country, leading to chaos at Kabul's international airport. Amid scattered reports, it has been difficult to determine how widespread abuses might be and whether they reflect that Taliban leaders are saying one thing and doing another, or if fighters on the ground are taking matters into their own hands.

Burns travelled to Kabul on Monday to meet Abdul Ghani Baradar. The details of their discussions weren't immediately known. The Washington Post first reported Burns's meeting with Baradar.

WATCH | Increased pressure for U.S. to delay Afghanistan withdrawal: Increased pressure for U.S. to delay Afghanistan withdrawal13 hours agoThe U.S. is facing increased international pressure to delay the withdrawal of troops from Afghanistan to beyond the end of August as thousands of Afghans desperately try to flee after the Taliban takeover. 1:59

The U.S. official confirmed the report on condition of anonymity because they were not authorized to speak publicly.

U.S. administration officials have refused to be pinned down about whether an extension is likely or even possible given that a Taliban spokesperson has warned that Aug. 31 is a "red line" and that extending the American presence would "provoke a reaction."

A Taliban spokesperson said Tuesday that the U.S. must complete its evacuation of people from Afghanistan by the Aug. 31 date the Biden administration set for the withdrawal of all American troops. Zabihullah Mujahid said his group will accept "no extensions" to the deadline.

He said life is returning to normal in the country, but chaos at the airport remains a problem. Many Afghans are desperate to flee the Taliban takeover of the country.

The Taliban spokesperson said meetings were happening with all embassies in Kabul, including the U.S. He said he could not confirm the reported meeting with the CIA director, but he did not deny that such a meeting took place.

In the meantime, tragic scenes at the airport have transfixed the world. Afghans poured onto the tarmac last week and some clung to a U.S. military transport plane as it took off, later plunging to their deaths. At least seven people died that day, and another seven died Sunday in a panicked stampede. An Afghan solider was killed Monday in a gunfight.

See images from the ongoing evacuation efforts out of Kabul: This satellite image provided by Maxar Technologies shows crowds and traffic at the entrance to Kabul’s international airport on Monday, Aug. 23, 2021. (Satellite Image/Maxar Technologies/The Associated Press)People arrive in coaches at Kabul airport on Monday in this still image taken from video. (Reuters TV/Reuters)Evacuees from Afghanistan board a bus after arriving at Rome's Leonardo da Vinci international airport in Fiumicino early Tuesday. (Paolo Santalucia/The Associated Press)A man rests at an airport as Afghan evacuees arrive in Italy following their journey from Kabul. (Guglielmo Mangiapane/Reuters)

On Tuesday, Bachelet called for strong action to investigate reports of rights abuses.

"At this critical moment, the people of Afghanistan look to the Human Rights Council to defend and protect their rights," she said. "I urge this council to take bold and vigorous action, commensurate with the gravity of this crisis, by establishing a dedicated mechanism to closely monitor the evolving human rights situation in Afghanistan."

By "mechanism," Bachelet was referring to the possibility that the council might appoint a commission of inquiry, special rapporteur or fact-finding mission on the situation in Afghanistan.

While advocacy groups like Human Rights Watch echoed such calls, a draft resolution at the council stopped far short of intensified scrutiny â€" and appeared to push back any deeper look at the rights situation until next year.

Bachelet cited reports of "summary executions" of civilians and former security forces who were no longer fighting, the recruitment of child soldiers, and restrictions on the rights of women to move around freely and of girls to go to school. She cited repression of peaceful protests and expressions of dissent. Bachelet did not specify what timeframe she was referring to or the source of her reports.

Days earlier, a Norway-based private intelligence group said it obtained evidence that the Taliban have rounded up Afghans on a blacklist of people they believe worked in key roles with the previous Afghan administration or with U.S.-led forces. Several Afghans are in hiding, saying they fear such reprisals.

When the Taliban last ruled Afghanistan in the late 1990s, the group largely confined women to their homes, banned television and music, chopped off the hands of suspected thieves and held public executions.

Bachelet noted that Taliban leaders have recently pledged to respect the rights of women, girls and ethnic minorities and refrain from reprisals. "The onus is now fully on the Taliban to translate these commitments into reality," she told the 47-member-state council, which is the UN's top human rights body.

Working at 'war-footing' pace

Meanwhile, Western countries worked at a "war-footing pace" on Tuesday to get people out of Afghanistan, a NATO country diplomat said, as U.S. President Joe Biden looked set to come under pressure from other G7 leaders to seek more time to complete the airlift.

"Every foreign force member is working at a war-footing pace to meet the deadline," said the NATO official, who declined to be identified.

Leaders of the Group of Seven (G7) countries â€" Britain, Canada, France Germany, Italy, Japan and the United States â€" will meet virtually later on Tuesday to discuss the crisis.

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