OSLO, Jan 25 (NNN-AGENCIES) — The fate of two missing women’s rights activists in Afghanistan was raised in talks with the Taliban in Oslo on Monday.
In comments to the Norwegian broadcaster NRK, a Taliban representative said the Islamists had not arrested the women and were not holding them captive.
The UN mission in Afghanistan had expressed concern on Twitter on Saturday about the disappearance of the activists, who were reportedly abducted from their homes in the middle of the week.
The treatment of women in Afghanistan after the Taliban again seized power last year features high on the agenda of the talks in Oslo, which are scheduled to continue for a second day on Tuesday.
Alongside Western representatives, the Taliban are also meeting fellow Afghans in the Norwegian capital, including women, journalists and human rights activists.
It is the first time that Taliban delegates have travelled to a Western country since they retook power.
The meeting has been the focus of international criticism, with Afghans protesting both in Oslo and outside Norwegian embassies abroad to voice their sense of betrayal.
In the past, Norway has repeatedly acted as a mediator in foreign conflicts, most recently in Venezuela.
The non-EU country has been in dialogue with the Taliban for years. A Norwegian delegation recently travelled to Kabul to discuss Afghanistan’s humanitarian struggles.
