Taliban reportedly received a list identifying Americans and Afghans.
Reports came out several days ago that U.S. officials in Kabul gave the Taliban a list of names of American citizens, green card holders, and Afghan allies so that they might grant entry into the militant-controlled outer perimeter of Kabul’s airport. Secretary of State Antony Blinken and National Security Advisor Jake Sullivan confirmed the information was shared with the Taliban.
On Monday, White House Press Secretary Jen Psaki reframed the report. She acknowledged that U.S. commanders have provided the names of evacuees to the Taliban as they arrived at checkpoints but denied that the military has provided lists of would-be evacuees to the Taliban “preemptively.”
“There have been limited cases where it is possible that when buses or individuals are at a border checkpoint and they’re trying to get through, in order to get them through to evacuate them successfully, we have had to coordinate and provide details,” Press Secretary Psaki stated.
“Reports or suggestions that we were giving a preemptive list of Afghans who want to leave the country is inaccurate,” the press secretary said. “There could be cases where commanders who are communicating with the Taliban to get people through checkpoints… saying ‘here’s individuals who need to get through.’”
President Biden said last week that he couldn’t say “with any certitude that there’s actually been a list of names.”
As the Lord Leads, Pray with Us…
- For officials of the State Department as refugees are processed in Afghanistan.
- For the president and his administration as they set policy regarding immigration and asylum.
- For the thousands of Afghans and hundreds of Americans who have been unable to reach the airport for evacuation.
Sources: Politico, The Epoch Times, National Review
