Blinken Sees Taliban Advancement in Afghanistan as 'Deeply Troubling'

The Taliban's killings of government officials and civilians, according to U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken, are "deeply troubling."

Blinken Condemns Cruel Act of Taliban Across Afghanistan

In a recently published article in the New York Post, Blinken said that they were seeing the Taliban fighters making some advances across Afghanistan last week most especially in district centers. He also added, "We've also seen these reports of atrocities committed by the Taliban in areas that it's taken over that are deeply, deeply troubling, and certainly do not speak well to the Taliban's intentions for the country as a whole."

He said that the United States is dedicated to assisting the Afghan government, particularly its security forces, as well as diplomatic efforts to find a peaceful end to the longstanding war. However, he anticipated that the Taliban's activities would isolate Afghanistan from the rest of the world.

The Taliban, according to Blinken, is seeking worldwide recognition, international assistance for Afghanistan, and the lifting of sanctions and travel restrictions on its leaders. However, there is "just one route" to accomplishing those goals, which is "at the negotiation table," according to a published article in MSN News.

Taliban Controls Most Districts in Afghanistan, Denies Atrocities

In the last few weeks, the Taliban has gained control of dozens of districts by force or via surrenders while they dawdle at talks with the Afghan government intended to negotiate a ceasefire and settle on the country's future administration.

Meanwhile, the Taliban group's leadership has also denied responsibility for the atrocities mentioned by Blinken, such as extrajudicial killings, forced displacements, and attacks on civilian infrastructure, indicating that their promises are still empty and that they believe they can take power by force or that they do not have full control of their dispersed forces across the country, according to a published report in Everett Post.

Indian External Affairs Minister Agrees With Blinken During the Bilateral Talks

During Blinken's visit to India, Indian External Affairs Minister Subrahmanyam Jaishankar agreed with Blinken that they were the sole answer to Afghanistan's conflict. However, he refused to specify how worried India's government is about the worsening security situation. According to him, the consequences would be a "normal" and "inevitable" result of the U.S. military departure.

After the day's talks, a senior State Department official said the two sides made no explicit requests of one another but pledged to increase collaboration and information exchange on the issue. They said, "It's a chance for us to talk about, sort of, the way forward and really where we can find points of leverage to try to bring the Taliban along and get toward a negotiated settlement," according to a published article in The Washington Post.

Additionally, the two foreign ministers were friendly, making jokes and applauding U.S.-India collaboration. With collaboration on COVID-19, military, commerce, investment, climate change, and regional problems, Jaishankar said the two countries have "entered a new era."

According to a senior State Department source, the Biden administration intended to share three million COVID-19 vaccines with India, but they are still being held up by Indian bureaucracy, which must first authorize their import.