After Secret Meeting With CIA, Taliban Not Allowing Afghans To Airport To Evacuate
By Donald Standeford, Correspondent - Follow -
Date Published: August 25th, 2021 04:00AM UTC
Last Modified: August 25th, 2021 04:00AM UTC
KABUL - After a secret meeting happened with the CIA, the Taliban are not letting Afghans go to the airport saying that they will no longer allow Afghan nationals to leave the country. The State Department is also reportedly turning away Afghan interpreters at checkpoints.
Taliban spokesman Zabihullah Mujahid stated, "We are not in favor of allowing Afghans to leave. They [Americans] have the opportunity, they have all the resources, they can take all the people that belong to them but we are not going to allow Afghans to leave and we will not extend the deadline".
"The way to the airport has been closed now. Afghans are not allowed to go there now, foreigners are allowed to go but we have stopped Afghan nationals to go because the crowd is more, there is danger that people will lose their lives, there might be a stampede" he continued.
Furthermore, an ex CIA analyst orchestrated a rescue mission involving 500 former Afghan interpreters and special visa holders. Upon reaching the airport they were "kicked out by the State Department" and "They were able to get the Afghans inside the airport" however were "turned back" at what was described as a "State Department checkpoint" according to a New York Times article.
"We’re telling people to be prepared to survive up to a day in the scrum" said the former C.I.A officer according to the New York Times. "They make it inside only to be turned back" the article stated.
The article continued, "On Sunday night, Mr. Zeller said, veterans and contacts in Afghanistan organized an operation to bring to the airport some 500 S.I.V. holders who were considered at high risk of Taliban reprisals. They were able to get the Afghans inside the airport, he said, but were turned back at what he described as a State Department checkpoint".
Due to the fact that the statement by the Taliban not to allow Afghans to the airport happened right after the CIA meeting with the Taliban, the question begs to be asked, what was talked about in that secret meeting?
Was a deal struck with the Taliban to prevent those afghans who aided the U.S. military from reaching the airport in order to keep the airport free and clear during the evacuation process?
This is a question that deserves an answer, as thousands of Afghans lives are now at risk and unable to reach the airport to evacuate the country. Countless people who aided the United States during the war and who deserve an answer.
In spite of any shaky deal that may have been made, however, Americans are still being prevented from reaching the airport and are being flogged and intimidated by threats from Taliban forces for even attempting to leave.
Reports are also saying that the Taliban are going door to door in the country, actively looking for Americans, as well as anyone who helped U.S. forces during the war, which begs yet another question.. is it U.S. policy now to make deals and concessions with terrorists in the first place?
Whatever happened to "We don't negotiate with terrorists"?
