(ConservativeHub.com) – US forces have been battling the Taliban and their militant partners in Afghanistan for the last two decades. However, a newer threat revealed itself when an ISIS-K suicide bomber targeted evacuation efforts at the Hamid Karzai International Airport last Thursday, August 26.
Later that day, Politico reported that three anonymous government sources revealed US officials gave the Taliban a list of US citizens and Afghans who worked with US troops as part of an plan to complete evacuation efforts in Afghanistan by the August 31 deadline.
SCOOP: U.S. officials gave the Taliban a list of names of U.S. citizens, green card holders & Afghan allies to grant entry into the outer perimeter of the city’s airport, prompting outrage behind the scenes from lawmakers and military officials. https://t.co/WHHzStyynk
— Lara Seligman (@laraseligman) August 26, 2021
The topic of the list reportedly arose during a classified briefing in the nation’s capital last week. Politico’s sources claimed the meeting became combative when Biden administration officials said the coordination was necessary to protect Americans and Afghans and prevent violent clashes between US troops and Taliban fighters.
As one might expect, pushback on the decision was swift and bipartisan. Sen. Bob Menendez (D-NJ), the Senate Foreign Relations Committee chair, issued a warning to administration officials saying they can’t trust Taliban officials with the safety of Americans.
President Joe Biden denied having specific knowledge about the list during a Thursday press conference. However, he did concede, “It could very well have happened.” In a later interview on August 29, Secretary of State Antony Blinken sternly denied putting any evacuees in greater danger. Rather, he clarified that the US shared specific names of individuals who did not have the proper travel documents so the Taliban would give them access through checkpoints.
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