‘US naively shared kill list with Taliban’
Furore over Politico report that says list of those who helped the US in Afghanistan was naively shared with Taliban group
WASHINGTON: The US officials in Afghanistan may have naively handed over to the Taliban a list to potentially target Afghan nationals who had aided American forces in the country, according to a report in Politico.
Following the Taliban’s takeover of Kabul earlier this month, US officials there gave the militant group a list of names of American citizens, green card holders and Afghan allies so they could be allowed to enter the Taliban-controlled perimeter around the Hamid Karzai International Airport in Kabul, according to Politico.
The decision was made despite the Taliban’s notorious reputation for brutally executing Afghans who helped the US military and other western forces during the occupation that followed the September 11, 2001 terror attacks in America.
The move, detailed by three US and congressional officials, was designed to expedite the evacuation of tens of thousands of people from Afghanistan as chaos erupted in the country’s capital city, the report said.
Since the fall of Kabul in midAugust, nearly 100,000 people have been evacuated, most of whom had to pass through the Taliban’s many checkpoints. But the decision to provide specific names to the Taliban has angered lawmakers and military officials.
“Basically, they just put all those Afghans on a kill list,” said one US defence official, who spoke on condition of anonymity. “It’s just appalling and shocking and makes you feel unclean.” Asked about the report, US President Joe Biden said he was not sure there were such lists, but also didn’t deny that sometimes America hands over names to the Taliban.
“I can’t tell you with any certitude that there’s actually been a list of names,” he said. The revelation came days after it was reported that Taliban death squads have been going “doorto-door” to hunt down suspected Afghan “collaborators”.
A spokesperson for US Central Command declined to comment.