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The United States is not in a rush to recognize the new interim government in Afghanistan, the White House said on Wednesday, asserting that it is in talks with the Taliban to get American citizens out of the strife-torn country.
“No one in this administration, not the President nor anyone on the national security team, would suggest that the Taliban are respected and valued members of the global community. They have not earned that in any way, and we have never assessed that. This is a caretaker cabinet that does include four former imprisoned Taliban fighters,” White House Press Secretary Jen Psaki told reporters at her daily news conference, reported PTI. The administration has not validated that, she said.
“We have not conveyed we’re going to recognize it and nor are we rushing to recognition. There’s a lot they have to do before that. What we are working to do is to engage with them because they oversee and control Afghanistan right now to get American citizens, legal permanent residents, SIV applicants out of Afghanistan,” Psaki said.
“We have to engage with them,” she said.
“But to engage with them — their new acting interior minister is a Haqqani network terrorist. He’s wanted for a bombing that killed six people, including an American. He’s believed to have participated in cross-border attacks against US troops. There’s a USD 10-million bounty on his head. Why are we engaging?” she asked.
Taliban’s hardline interim government includes specially designated global terrorist Sirajuddin Haqqani as the acting interior minister.
“Should we not talk to the people who are overseeing Afghanistan and just leave it and not get the rest of the American citizens out?” the White House press secretary said.
The international community, she reiterated, is watching.
“The United States is watching. It’s whether they let people depart the country who want to depart, whether they treat women across the country as they have committed to treat them and how they behave and operate. And, therefore, we’re not moving toward recognition,” she insisted.
“At the same time, we’re dealing with a reality world here where we have to engage in order to get American citizens and others out of the country,” she said.
