Taliban spokesman Zabihullah Mujahid claimed Beijing was “ready to invest in and reconstruct” Afghanistan as he gave the clearest indication to date of the group's diplomatic priorities.

       Mr Mujahid said the Chinese would revive Afghan copper mining and praised the One Belt One Road project despite criticism from western countries.

       This comes after Foreign Secretary Dominic Raab declared that Britain would not be “recognising the Taliban at any time in the foreseeable future”.

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       Prime Minister Boris Johnson echoed the message adding that if the Taliban wanted to engage with the West then “the first priority for them for us is safe passage for those who want to leave".

       Mr Raab also hinted that Kabul airport could open "in the near future" after talks with leaders in Qatar.

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