Posted on 08/24/2021 8:04:23 AM PDT by SeekAndFind
CIA Director William J. Burns held a secret meeting in Kabul on Monday with the Taliban leader Abdul Ghani Baradar, as the United States looks for an extension of Biden’s own deadline of August 31 to remove all Americans from Afghanistan.
The Taliban said yesterday that they see the August 31 date as a “red line” and will refuse to grant the U.S. additional time to leave.
A Taliban spokesman told Sky News that the group will not accept such an extension.
“It’s a red line. President Biden announced that on 31 August they would withdraw all their military forces. So if they extend it that means they are extending occupation while there is no need for that,” Suhail Shaheen said, according to the report.
“If the U.S. or U.K. were to seek additional time to continue evacuations, the answer is no. Or there would be consequences,” he added.
The Taliban spokesman added that it would “provoke a reaction” if Biden extended the withdrawal deadline.
Exactly what that veiled threat means is unclear but the Taliban could cause a lot of problems for the U.S. in trying to get its people out of Afghanistan. Currently, the airport from which the evacuations are taking place is extremely vulnerable to external attacks. The Taliban is providing security, but what if they were to pull their protection? This would be the least disruptive move they could make if they don’t agree to an extension of the August 31 deadline.
(Excerpt) Read more at pjmedia.com ...
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