State Dept. concerned over Taliban's newly announced non-inclusive gov't
The Biden administration is skeptical of the Taliban's “caretaker cabinet” saying that it “consists exclusively of individuals who are members of the Taliban or their close associates and no women.”
The U.S. State Department has voiced its concern over Afghanistan’s new Taliban government not being “inclusive.”
In a statement provided to The Hill, a State Department spokesperson said that even though the Taliban “has presented this as a caretaker cabinet,” America “will judge the Taliban by its actions, not words.”
“We have made clear our expectation that the Afghan people deserve an inclusive government,” the spokesperson added.
On Tuesday, Taliban officials released a list of names of the new government, which the State Department said: “consists exclusively of individuals who are members of the Taliban or their close associates and no women.”
The State Department went on to say that it was “concerned by the affiliations and track records of some of the individuals.”
As reported by The Hill, Afghanistan’s acting interior minister, Sirajuddin Haqqani, is “currently wanted by the FBI in connection with a 2008 attack on a Kabul hotel that left six people, including a U.S. citizen, dead.” The FBI originally “offered a $5-million reward for information leading to Haqqani’s arrest but increased the reward to $10 million later Tuesday.,” the outlet added.
Following the Biden administration’s disastrous withdrawal from Afghanistan, the Taliban seized the country, and took control mid-August, with a member of its cultural commission, Enamullah Samangani claiming that the new government would treat women fairly.
“The Islamic Emirate of Afghanistan is ready to provide women with environment to work and study, and the presence of women in different (government) structures according to Islamic law and in accordance with our cultural values,” Samangani said, according to the Associated Press.
The State Department on Tuesday said the Biden administration would “continue to hold the Taliban to their commitments to allow safe passage for foreign nationals and Afghans with travel documents, including permitting flights currently ready to fly out of Afghanistan to agreed-upon onward destinations.”
“We also reiterate our clear expectation that the Taliban ensure that Afghan soil is not used to threaten any other countries and allow humanitarian access in support of the Afghan people,” the State Department added. “The world is watching closely.”
Under Taliban rule, women were not allowed to leave their homes without a male escort, nor attend education. Reports from Afghanistan have shown that the Taliban have not become more moderate as the terrorist group claims to be. In August, a woman was shot and killed by a member of the Taliban for not wearing a burka.
2024 Student Journalism Conference
Applications are now open for The Democracy Fund's third annual Student Journalism Conference. This is a one-of-a-kind, all-expenses-paid opportunity for young aspiring journalists in Canada!
TDF Student Journalism Conference 2024Don't Get Censored
Big Tech is censoring us. Sign up so we can always stay in touch.
Don't Get Censored
Big Tech is censoring us. Sign up so we can always stay in touch.