BRUSSELS: Belgium said on Monday it had issued five visas to a Taliban delegation to attend an EU meeting on migration in Brussels, in what would be the first time the EU has hosted the group since the Islamists returned to power in Afghanistan five years ago. The visas are restricted in both geographical scope and duration, allowing travel only to Belgium and for a single day, a Belgian foreign ministry spokesperson said, adding that the date of the visit would not be disclosed for security reasons.

The EU Commission on Monday refused to respond if any of its own delegation would include female staffers in order to conform with male-only events - as per Taliban tradition.

Leden van de Taliban krijgen een visum voor een gesprek met de Europese Commissie in Brussel.