Taliban's global legitimacy will depend on its actions, not words: US Secy of State Antony Blinken....
Taliban's global legitimacy will depend on its actions, not words: US Secy of State Antony Blinken....
US Secretary of State Antony Blinken has said the trajectory of the country's relationship with the Taliban would depend entirely on what it does and not just on what it says.
In an interview with TOLO news, Antony Blinken said, "The Taliban says it seeks international legitimacy and international support and that will depend entirely on what it does, not just on what it says. And the trajectory of its relationship with us and with the rest of the world will depend on its actions."
Antony Blinken further said that the US would work with the Taliban government if it upheld its commitments, especially on "combating terrorism" and honouring human rights and the rights of minorities.
"If the Taliban are able to uphold its commitments, including with regards to freedom of travel, combatting terrorism, and also upholding the basic rights of Afghan people, including women and girls and minorities, then that's a government that we can work with. If it doesn't, we won't," Blinken said.
'DIDN'T FACILITATE ASHRAF GHANI'S ESCAPE FROM KABUL'
When asked if he helped Ashraf Ghani flee Afghanistan, Blinken said he spoke to the ousted Afghan President the night before he left Kabul but "did nothing to facilitate it".
"We were talking about work that was being done in Doha, on the transfer of power, and in the absence of that succeeding, what he told me in the conversation the night before he fled is that he was prepared to fight to the death and in less than 24 hours he left Afghanistan. So, no, I certainly didn't know about it. And we certainly did nothing to facilitate it," Blinken told TOLO news.
Blinken also said he was not aware of Ashraf Ghani fleeing Kabul with tonnes of cash. "What I do know, is that he left the country and again, in a very short period of time, the security forces and its institutions collapsed and so did the government," Blinken said.
On Wednesday, Ghani, in a statement from the UAE, said that he left Afghanistan to "keep the guns silent and save six million people in Kabul". "Leaving Kabul was the most difficult decision of my life, but believed it was the only way to keep the guns silent and save Kabul and her 6 million citizens," the 72-year-old former president said.
FUTURE OF US-TALIBAN AGREEMENT SIGNED IN DOHA
On the US-Taliban agreement signed in Doha, Antony Blinken said the Taliban must abide by agreements on counter-terrorism.
"We ultimately did good on the fundamental part of the agreement that involved us which is the removal of US forces. The Taliban has an enduring commitment, among other things, to make sure that Afghanistan is not used as a launching pad for terrorism," he said.
While blaming the Afghanistan government for the rapid takeover of the country by Taliban, Blinken said many soldiers fought bravely, but as an institution, the army collapsed.
"I have to say that so many Afghans in the security forces acted with incredible courage and bravery and tremendous sacrifice. So many lost. But as an institution, it collapsed. And the government fled ultimately. All of that happened in a very very short period of time," he said.
ON US EVACUATION
Blinken called the evacuation "extraordinary," saying that "over all, almost a hundred and twenty-five thousand people were evacuated in a very short period of time under incredibly difficult conditions, including the threat posed by ISIS-K".
Stating that the US was committed to those citizens who remain in the country, Blinken said nearly 6,000 people, virtually all of those who had identified themselves to "us" and "wished to leave" were evacuated.
