WASHINGTON — The Taliban on Monday contacted Afghans who worked as interpreters or in other tasks for U.S.-led forces to reveal “remorse” for their actions however stated they were not in risk now that American soldiers are leaving the nation.
The Taliban have a long performance history of threatening and killing Afghans who worked for the United States and NATO allies or with Western-backed companies. Since 2014, a minimum of 300 Afghans who worked as interpreters have actually been killed by the Taliban, according to No One Left Behind, a veteran-led not-for-profit dedicated to assisting Afghan and Iraqi interpreters.
But in the middle of growing contact Washington for an evacuation of the countless Afghans who served together with U.S. soldiers and diplomats, the Taliban provided an uncommon declaration. The group, which has actually depicted Afghans who complied with the NATO troop existence as traitors and infidels, stated that these previous U.S. partners had absolutely nothing to fear.
Afghans who dealt with NATO soldiers “should show remorse for their past actions and must not engage in such activities in the future that amount to treason against Islam and the country,” the Taliban declaration stated, describing themselves as the “Islamic Emirate.”
“But none should currently desert the country. The Islamic Emirate will not perturb them, but calls them to return to their normal lives and if they do have expertise in any field, to serve their country. They shall not be in any danger on our part,” the group stated.
It was unclear if the Taliban were using security in return for Afghans renouncing their previous deal with the Americans, however human rights supporters stated the insurgents’ pledges might not be relied on provided their well-documented abuses and attacks on civilians, civil society activists and popular ladies in public life.
“There is no reason for Congress or the Biden administration to take the Taliban’s word for this, as the Taliban and associated groups have already been responsible for killing hundreds of U.S.-affiliated Afghans,” stated Adam Bates, policy counsel at the International Refugee Assistance Project.
“Afghans can make their own assessments of the good faith of the Taliban’s press statements; the Biden administration and Congress must work to provide every possible avenue to safety for vulnerable Afghans as the U.S. withdraws,” Bates stated in an e-mail to NBC News.
The Taliban declaration stated the U.S. troop withdrawal, which is because of be performed by a Sept. 11 due date under President Joe Biden’s orders, had actually altered their mindset towards Afghans who dealt with the Americans.
“We viewed them as our foes when they were directly standing in the ranks of our enemies, but when they abandon enemy ranks and opt to live as ordinary Afghans in their homeland, they will not face any issues hence they should not remain fearful and should continue living a serene life in their own country,” the Taliban stated.
The Taliban’s declaration came as U.S. unique envoy Zalmay Khalilzad and other senior U.S. authorities checked out the area and held talks with Taliban agents and Afghan federal government leaders.
On Monday, the editorial board of the Wall Street Journal came out in favor of an evacuation of Afghan partners, and the Washington Post backed the concept in an editorial on Friday.
There have to do with 18,000 Afghans who are attempting to acquire an American visa under a program established in 2009 by Congress for previous workers of the U.S. federal government in Afghanistan. But the Special Immigrant Visa program has actually dealt with persistent hold-ups and an enormous stockpile. Applicants typically need to wait numerous years for a choice despite the fact that by law the procedure is expected to last no longer than 9 months.
At a congressional hearing on Monday, Secretary of State Antony Blinken stated the administration was including an extra 50 personnel to assist speed up applications for the SIV program.
But Rep. Michael McCaul of Texas, the ranking GOP member on the House Foreign Affairs Committee, stated there was insufficient time to procedure visa applications prior to U.S. soldiers leave in between now and Sept. 11.
“That means these people will have a bull’s-eye and a target on their back from the moment we leave the country,” McCaul stated.
Asked if the administration was preparing a possible evacuation of Afghan partners to a 3rd nation where their applications might be examined, Blinken showed it was possible.
“We are considering every option, yes,” stated Blinken, without elaborating.
But Blinken stated it was not a considered that the security scenario in Afghanistan would rapidly unwind after U.S. forces take out.
“I wouldn’t always correspond the departure of our forces in July, August or by early September with some sort of instant degeneration in the scenario,“ he stated.
Abigail Williams contributed.
