US in talks with insurgents on a daily basis: NSA Sullivan
The United States is in talks with the Taliban on a daily basis through political and security channels, and is also consulting allies and partners on the ongoing evacuation progress from the Kabul airport, National Security Advisor Jake Sullivan said on Monday.
He, however, reiterated the US does not trust the Taliban.
“We are in talks with the Taliban on a daily basis through both political and security channels. I’m not going to get into the details of those discussions here, to protect those discussions, which are covering a wide range of issues,” Sullivan told reporters at a White House news conference.
Asked if President Biden is also likely to speak with the Taliban leadership, Sullivan said “that is not in contemplation at this time”.
The US, he said, is also consulting closely with its allies and partners on the issue of the evacuation and its progress. “We are taking this day by day. We believe we are making enormous progress,” he said.
Sullivan said the conversation with the Taliban covers every aspect of what’s happening in Kabul right now and what’s happening at the airport; on how they need to ensure that there is facilitated passage to the airport for American citizens, third-country nationals, and so forth. “We’ll continue those conversations with them,” he said.
US evacuates 20,000 plus from Kabul: WH
The US military on Tuesday pulled off its biggest day of evacuation flights from Afghanistan since the operation began. About 21,600 people were flown safely out of Taliban-held Afghanistan in the 24-hour period that ended early Tuesday, the White House said. The Taliban signaled they might soon seek to shut down the airlifts.