British envoy in Kabul as Taliban seek to break isolation

A top British envoy held talks with senior Taliban officials in Kabul on Tuesday -- the first since foreign forces evacuated from Afghanistan -- as the country's new masters seek a path out of international isolation. The hardline Islamist movement declared a new regime after overrunning the capital in August and ousting the US-backed government. But after 20 years of war the aid-reliant country faces economic collapse, with major donors pausing funding and no emergency support in place. The new rulers have been courting hesitant foreign powers in a bid to restart cash flows to the country, where civil servants and healthcare workers have gone months without salaries. Taliban officials tweeted pictures of the first meeting between Simon Gass, Britain's special representative for Afghanistan, and deputy prime ministers Abdul Ghani Baradar and Abdul Salam Hanafi. The two sides discussed how Britain can help Afghanistan battle terrorism and a deepening humanitarian crisis -- and provide safe passage for those who want to leave the country, a UK government spokesperson said.  "They also raised the treatment of minorities and the rights of women and girls," the spokesperson added,...