With the evacuation of thousands of people from Afghanistan as a backdrop, the director of the CIA William burns held a secret meeting in Kabul with the Taliban co-founder, Abdul Ghani Baradar. It is the highest-level meeting between the United States and the insurgent movement after the latter took the capital of Afghanistan on Sunday, August 15, ending two months of accelerated expansion throughout the north of the country. This was reported this Tuesday by the newspaper The Washington Post. The decision of the President of the United States, Joe Biden, to send to Afghan territory to Burns, often featured as their most experienced diplomat, illustrates the severity of the crisis for your administration, which is evacuating thousands of civilians against the clock.
Although many have already been able to leave the country, there are accusations against the Taliban for persecuting citizens who worked for foreign powers or the recently deposed government and restricting their access to the airport.. The gigantic evacuation operation, described days ago by Biden as “one of the most difficult in history”, has mobilized planes from around the world for a week. The Taliban warned again on Tuesday that evacuations must end on August 31, despite requests from Western powers to extend the deadline.
The details of the meeting
Diplomat with a long career, William Burns was ambassador to Russia and Jordan and then undersecretary of state to former President Barack Obama. At that time, he led a rapprochement with Iran with secret negotiations in 2011 and 2012 in Oman with this country, despite the absence of diplomatic relations with the United States. For his part the mullah Abdul ghani Baradar, who headed the Taliban’s political office in Qatar during talks in July with the then Afghan government of Ashraf Ghani to end two decades of conflict in the country, He is the new strongman of the regime that took power in Kabul.
Last April Burns had already traveled to Afghanistan to meet with President Ghani, in order to prepare for the start of the US military withdrawal. The second meeting of the year, in this case with Baradar, took place on the same day that the Taliban warned that the August 31 date had to be met. as they see it as “a red line” on the limits allowed for withdrawal.
The CIA declined to comment on the details of the meeting between Burns and Baradar. explaining that the US intelligence agency “never talks about the director’s movements”, but the discussions were focused on the deadline in which Biden wants the US Army to conclude its airlift of US citizens and Afghan allies.
Speaking to CNN, a US official who requested anonymity described the meeting as “an exchange of views on what has to happen in order to finish” the evacuations before the established date. Biden’s national security adviser, Jake Sullivan, said Monday that the United States is making “enormous strides” in the speed of its evacuations.
The United States is also concerned about security around the Kabul airport, and Sullivan acknowledged his concern about the possibility that the ISIS (Islamic State) branch in Afghanistan attacks the civilians who are concentrated in the area.
Washington estimates that, since August 14, it has evacuated or facilitated the transfer of 58,700 people to other countries.. From Monday to Tuesday, the evacuation of 21,600 people has been managed, of which 12,700 correspond to the operations of 37 US military aircraft, the highest number of evacuated in a single day by the United States so far.
But a crowd is still gathering outside Kabul airport in hopes of fleeing. The Americans stepped up evacuation efforts on Tuesday after harsh warnings from the Taliban. A virtual G7 summit also addressed the issue. Despite pressure from several European countries, Biden decided to accept the Pentagon’s recommendation to stick to the August 31 deadline..
Taliban oppose extension
For their part, the Taliban reiterated Tuesday that they are opposed to extending the evacuation deadline beyond the established date. One of the spokesmen of the movement, Zabihullah Mujahid, accused foreign powers of evacuating “Afghan experts”, such as engineers and other professionals from whom “we need their talents”. “We ask them to cease these operations. They have planes, they have the airport, they should get their citizens and contractors out of here,” Mujahid said, adding that “they should not incite Afghans to flee Afghanistan.”
The spokesperson further said that the militia will no longer allow Afghans to enter Kabul airport, alleging the chaotic situation in the country. In Afghanistan, those citizens who worked for foreign governments or companies in recent years, artists or those who defended the opening of the country and the rights of women or minorities, know that they are easy targets for extremists. Seeking to put cold cloths Mujahid assured that Afghan officials will be able to return to work when “safety is guaranteed”, although women must stay home for the time being.
The UN High Commissioner for Human Rights, Michelle Bachelet, warned this Tuesday that “A fundamental red line will be the Taliban’s treatment of women and girls”. Speaking Tuesday at a special session of the United Nations Human Rights Council on Afghanistan, Bachelet urged the Taliban movement to “adopt norms of responsible governance and human rights (…) respecting the rights of all those who have suffered during decades of conflict. “
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