Legitimacy, Support Earned by Actions, US tells Taliban
US special envoy on Afghanistan affairs criticized Taliban’s letter to congress, saying it misconstrued facts.
US envoy Thomas West reacted to Taliban letter, saying Afghanistan was unfortunately already suffering a terrible humanitarian crisis before mid-August, made worse by war, years of drought, and the pandemic.
“U.S. officials made clear to the Taliban for years that if they pursued a military takeover rather than a negotiated settlement with fellow Afghans. Then critical non-humanitarian aid provided by the international community – in an economy enormously dependent on aid, including for basic services – would all but cease. That is what occurred,” said West.
According to him, US will continue clear-eyed and candid diplomacy with the Taliban.
“Legitimacy and support must be earned by actions to address terrorism, establish an inclusive government, and respect the rights of minorities, women and girls – including equal access to education and employment,” he explained.
The US envoy stressed that Washington will continue to support the Afghan people with humanitarian aid.
“We’ve provided $474 million this year,” he added.
This comes as Taliban in an open letter to US congress earlier this week, asked them to unfreeze Afghanistan assets.
