Not in a rush to recognise Taliban govt: White House
WASHINGTON: The US is not in a rush to recognise the new Taliban-led interim government in Afghanistan but was engaged with the people who are now overseeing and controlling the country to get the American citizens out of the strife-torn nation, according to a top White House official.
The Taliban insurgents seized control of Afghanistan in mid-August, ousting the previous elected leadership which was backed by the West.
The Taliban on Tuesday announced a caretaker Cabinet led by Mullah Mohammad Hasan Akhund, with key roles being shared by high-profile members of the hardline Islamist group, including a specially designated global terrorist of the dreaded Haqqani Network as the interior minister.
Responding to a spate of questions on the interim Cabinet announced by the Taliban, White House Press Secretary Jen Psaki told reporters on Wednesday that the US was not rushing to recognise the new regime in Kabul. “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,” Psaki said.
The Joe Biden administration has not validated that, she said.
“We have not conveyed we’re going to recognise 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, Special Immigration Visa (SPV)applicants out of Afghanistan,” Psaki said.
“We have to engage with them,” she said.