TIL Desk/World/Washington/ The Taliban will have to earn international legitimacy and support by meeting their commitments on freedom of travel, counterterrorism, respecting the basic rights of the Afghan people, including women and minorities, and forming an inclusive government, United States Secretary of State Antony Blinken has said.
Blinkin said the US will engage with the Taliban not on the basis of what a Taliban-led government says, but what it does to live up to its commitments. “The Taliban seek international legitimacy and support. Our message is: any legitimacy and any support will have to be earned,” Blinken said in an address to the nation hours after the US concluded its mission to Afghanistan early Tuesday.
“The Taliban can do that by meeting commitments and obligations — on freedom of travel; respecting the basic rights of the Afghan people, including women and minorities; upholding its commitments on counter terrorism; not carrying out reprisal violence against those who choose to stay in Afghanistan; and forming an inclusive government that can meet the needs and reflect the aspirations of the Afghan people,” he said.
