Qatari FM Al Thani meets Taliban's Akhund in Afghan capital
Mullah Mohammad Hasan Akhund (R), Afghanistan's then-foreign minister, is received by Pakistani then-Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif, in Islamabad, Pakistan, Aug. 25, 1999. (AP File Photo)


Qatari Foreign Minister Sheikh Mohammed bin Abdulrahman Al Thani visited Afghanistan's capital Kabul on Sunday and met Taliban-appointed interim Prime Minister Mullah Mohammad Hasan Akhund, Doha-based news channel Al-Jazeera reported.

Qatar is considered one of the countries with the most influence over the Taliban, which took control of Afghanistan last month as United States troops were preparing to finally withdraw from the country after 20 years.

It played a pivotal role in the massive U.S.-led airlift of its own citizens, other Western nationals and Afghans who helped Western countries.