Russia denies inviting Karzai & Abdullah for Moscow format meet amid Taliban presence

Putting all speculations to rest, Russia clarified that it hadn't invited former Afghanistan president Hamid Karzai and Abdullah Abdullah for the Moscow format meeting. Abdullah, the High Council for National Reconciliation of Afghanistan chairman and Karzai have remained in Afghanistan even after the Taliban seized power and have tried to push for an inclusive government. In a statement released by the Russian Embassy in Kabul, it was stated that the aforesaid leaders didn't feature among the list of invitees for the dialogue on the situation in the war-torn country. 

Earlier, the Taliban confirmed that a delegation led by its Deputy PM Mawlawi Abdul Salam Hanafi will participate in this Russia-led initiative on October 20. The Moscow format meeting is likely to witness the participation of representatives from other countries such as India, Iran, Pakistan and China. Accepting Russia's invite, India has decided to send a Joint Secretary-level official to the meeting and will mark the country's second formal interaction with Taliban representatives after August 15. In November, India is likely to hold an NSA-level dialogue on the Afghanistan crisis.

The Taliban's takeover of Afghanistan

After the Taliban stormed into Kabul on August 15, Afghanistan president Ashraf Ghani resigned and fled the country with his associates. Since then, several persons have lost their lives in the chaos at the Hamid Karzai International Airport with thousands of people desperately trying to flee the country. This includes the death of at least 169 Afghans, 11 US Marines, a US Navy sailor, and a US Army soldier in a suicide bombing at the Abbey Gate of the Kabul airport on August 26. This led to US airstrikes on terrorists belonging to ISIS-K which claimed responsibility for this attack.

On August 31, the Taliban gained control of the Kabul airport after the last batch of US troops left Afghanistan. Though the Taliban promised to form an "inclusive" government to run Afghanistan, it announced a caretaker Cabinet that neither has women nor mainstream politicians from previous regimes. While Mullah Mohammad Hassan Akhund, the chief of the Taliban's Rehbari Shura, is the new Prime Minister, he has two deputies in Mullah Baradar and Mawlawi Hanafi. So far, the terror outfit's rule has been marked by repression of women's rights, restrictions on media, economic crisis and atrocities on Panjshir residents.