US special representative for Afghanistan Thomas West met Afghan leader Abdullah Abdullah in New Delhi this week during a short visit to India.

Not much was revealed about the meeting except what West himself tweeted. He did not mention where the meeting with Abdullah Abdullah, who was the chairman of the High Council for National Reconciliation that held peace negotiations with the Taliban in 2020-21, took place but the images he posted indicated that they met in the US embassy in New Delhi. “A real pleasure to see Afghan leader @DrabdullahCE today after many months. Welcome Taliban’s good decision to let him see family and return.”

Abdullah Abdullah, who did not leave Afghanistan when the Taliban took over last August, was allowed to travel to India in April-end.

While in Delhi, West also met J.P. Singh, joint secretary in charge of Pakistan, Afghanistan and Iran in the Indian external affairs ministry, on Wednesday amid reports that India was exploring the option of reopening its embassy in Kabul without any diplomatic-level staff to facilitate liaison and possibly consular work.

West was appreciative of the humanitarian assistance India is providing to Afghanistan. “India is providing critical humanitarian aid, has interests to protect, brings enormous capability and experience to supporting Afghan people. We’ll continue to partner with India and others in the region to advance shared goals,” he said.

There was no official word from the Indian side about the meeting.