Germany's Angela Merkel favours dialogue with Taliban

German Chancellor says it is a good sign that Kabul airport has reopened for domestic flights

US Secretary of State Antony Blinken arrives to board an aircraft from Joint Base Andrews, Maryland for travel to Doha, Qatar and Ramstein, Germany. AP

A satellite image shows grounded aircraft at the Mazar-i-Sharif airport in northern Afghanistan. Maxar Technologies via AFP

The Mazar-i-Sharif airport in northern Afghanistan. Maxar Technologies via AFP

Schoolgirls on their way home in Kabul. EPA

People sell petrol on a roadside in Kabul. EPA

Members of Jiye Sindh Mahaz party protest against plans to accept Afghan refugees in Karachi, Pakistan. Pakistan has shut its doors to Afghan refugees following the Taliban's takeover of the country. About 1. 4 million Afghan refugees are living in Pakistan legally, while around another million are undocumented. EPA

Afghan filmmaker Shahrbanoo Sadat speaks in Paris, France, before attending a gathering held to show solidarity with the women of Afghanistan. AP

Protesters are reflected in the sunglasses worn by a demonstrator during a rally in support of Afghanistan's people, at the Place de la Republique, in Paris. AFP

A man holds the Afghan national flag as he takes part in a rally in support of Afghanistan's people, at the Place de la Republique, in Paris. AFP

An Afghan man rides a bicycle past a barrier wall in Kabul. AFP

A member of the Taliban forces stands guard at Hamid Karzai International Airport in Kabul, Afghanistan. Reuters

Passengers disembark on arrival from Kandahar at Hamid Karzai International Airport in Kabul, Afghanistan. Reuters

A general view of the city of Kabul, Afghanistan. Reuters

A suspected ISIS member sits blindfolded in a Taliban Special Forces car in Kabul, Afghanistan. Reuters

An entrance of the Maintenance Group Command at the military airfield in Kabul. Reuters

Damaged Afghan military aircraft are parked in a hangar after the Taliban's takeover of Hamid Karzai International Airport in Kabul. AP

An Afghan military helicopter at the airport in Kabul. AP

A Taliban fighter rests while on duty at the airport in Kabul, Afghanistan. AP

A burqa-clad woman sells face masks to commuters at a traffic intersection in Kabul. AFP

Passengers board an Ariana Afghan Airlines aircraft for a domestic flight, at the airport in Kandahar. Afghanistan's major airports reopened for domestic flights on September 4. EPA

Foreign currency traders carry out their tasks after the money market and other financial services providers reopened for business in Kabul. AFP

Foreign currency dealers transact in Kabul. AFP

A Taliban fighter stands guard as people move past him at a market with shops dealing in foreign currency, in Kabul. AFP

Workers and volunteers load a shipment of humanitarian aid to be sent to Afghanistan at Bahrain International Airport on Muharraq Island, near the capital Manama. AFP

Official spokeswoman of the Supreme Committee for Crisis Management in Qatar, Lolwah Al Khater, and UN Special Envoy for Yemen Martin Griffiths visit the Park View Villas, in Doha, which is now housing Afghan refugees. AFP

Fifa president Gianni Infantino, centre, plays football with people flown from Afghanistan at Park View Villas, Doha. Accommodation built in Qatar for the 2022 Fifa World Cup has now assumed a different role from that envisaged by the organising committee - housing Afghan refugees. AFP

Back row, from left, Matthijs Wouter Knol, Sahraa Karimi, Sarah Mani and Mike Downey, and front row, from left, Orwa Nyrabia and Vanja Kaludjercic during the International Panel on Afghanistan and the situation of Afghan filmmakers and artists at the 78th annual Venice International Film Festival, in Italy. EPA

US Air Force Brigadier General Gerald Donohue speaks during a media briefing at Al Udeid airbase in Doha, Qatar. Reuters

A vendor displays guns for sale at a market in the Panjwai district of Kandahar province. AFP

Customers wait outside a bank on a street in Kabul, Afghanistan. Reuters

Vehicles loaded with shipping containers wait to cross into Afghanistan, at the Friendship Gate crossing point, in the border town of Chaman, Pakistan. Reuters

People queue outside a bank to withdraw money in the Shar-e-Naw district of Kabul. AFP

Germany’s outgoing Chancellor Angela Merkel has said she supports dialogue with the Taliban, as she highlighted the importance of aid organisations being able to work effectively to support humanitarian efforts in Afghanistan.

Nato members such as Germany, who fought against the Taliban for nearly two decades, are facing up to how they can have a future relationship with the hardline group after its rapid takeover of Afghanistan.

“As far as the Taliban are concerned, of course we have to talk to them,” Ms Merkel said during a visit to the German city of Hagen.

"We want to get people who have worked for German development aid organisations in particular, and who now feel at risk, out of the country.

“We also want the international aid organisations, and Germany supports these very much, to be able to improve the humanitarian situation in Afghanistan.

"There is drought, there is hunger, and it was a good signal yesterday that Kabul airport is accessible again.”

In recent days a handful of domestic commercial flights have resumed in Afghanistan.

On Monday, Taliban spokesman Zabihullah Mujahid said "the German government could encourage its entrepreneurs to come and invest in our country".

He told German newspaper Bild that the Taliban would pave the way for investments and ensure the security of companies.

Mrs Merkel was welcome to visit Afghanistan, he said.

"We would like to revive the friendly atmosphere that existed between Afghans and Germans. The next government will be based on a friendly relationship with Germany," Mr Mujahid said.

"We would like Germany to support us in the humanitarian sector, and we need help in the healthcare sector, in the area of education and with the infrastructure."

Germany’s parliamentary elections are set to take place this month, with Mrs Merkel, a member of the Christian Democratic Union, stepping down after 16 years.

Sayed Sadaat used to be communications minister in the Afghan government before moving to Germany last September. He is now a delivery man in the eastern city of Leipzig. Reuters

He said some at home criticised him for taking such a job after having served in the government for two years, leaving office in 2018. But for him now, a job is a job. Reuters

Sayed Sadaat sits with his gear in Leipzig, Germany. Reuters

"I hope other politicians also follow the same path, working with the public rather than just hiding," he said. Reuters

"The first few days were exciting but difficult," he said, describing the challenge of learning to cycle in the city. Reuters

The party's candidate, Armin Laschet, is lagging in the polls behind the centre-left Social Democrats and its contender Olaf Scholz, who is Finance Minister and Vice Chancellor in Mrs Merkel’s coalition government.

“Armin Laschet leads this biggest state of Germany very successfully," Mrs Merkel said, repeating her support for her party’s candidate.

"We can now make use of some of the things that the state government has decided on, namely simplifying and accelerating planning, and perhaps learn from that at the federal level, and somebody who can lead such a state can also lead Germany as chancellor."