Europe is reportedly considering engagement with two separate Afghan-linked committees on the return of Afghan migrants, including one that involves Ahmad Massoud, the leader of the National Resistance Front, according to sources familiar with the matter.

The development is being viewed in diplomatic circles as an indication that European countries may still be keeping alternative Afghan political interlocutors under consideration alongside the Taliban administration currently governing Afghanistan.

In Brussels, Afghanistan has reportedly formed a seven-member committee to engage with the European Union on the repatriation of more than 27,000 undocumented Afghan migrants. However, sources said Taliban authorities were taken aback to learn that Massoud had also been invited to the discussions on the same issue.

A senior source within the Taliban administration said diplomatic contacts at Afghanistan’s embassy in Germany had confirmed Massoud’s invitation.