U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken speaks during a meeting with Israeli Prime Minister Naftali Bennett at the Willard Hotel in Washington, D.C. (Photo by OLIVIER DOULIERY/POOL/AFP via Getty Images)
Secretary of State Antony Blinken said the U.S. was not likely to have an on the ground diplomatic presence in Kabul after the military withdrawal was completed. In an interview on Sunday, Blinken claimed the Taliban would continue to allow people to leave the country by the August 31 evacuation deadline.
Blinken also said the U.S. was committed to help facilitate the ongoing departure of those who decide to leave Afghanistan past the deadline.
“Freedom of travel is essential to the international community’s expectations of the Taliban going forward and working with other countries very closely,” he stated. “We’re going to make sure that we put in place the means to do that, an airport that functions, other ways of leaving the country. All of that is what we’re working on the days ahead.”
Spoke with Indian External Affairs Minister @DrSJaishankar today to discuss our shared priorities including continued coordination on Afghanistan and in the United Nations. Look forward to continuing to deepen our partnership. https://t.co/u5B63mcujo
— Secretary Antony Blinken (@SecBlinken) August 28, 2021
Blinken went on to say the U.S. would take action in Afghanistan after September 1 if ISIS-K continued to threaten Americans.
Source: One America News Network
