White House gives Taliban names of Americans and Afghans who collaborated with the United States

U.S. officials in Kabul gave the Taliban a list of names of American citizens, green card holders and Afghan allies to allow them entry into the militant-held outer perimeter of the city's airport, a choice that drew quiet outrage from lawmakers and the military. The publication spoke about this in more detail. Politico.

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The move was designed to expedite the evacuation of tens of thousands of people from Afghanistan as chaos erupted in its capital after the Taliban seized control of the country.

Since the fall of Kabul in mid-August, nearly 100 people have been evacuated, most of whom had to pass through numerous Taliban checkpoints. But the decision to give specific names to the Taliban, which has a history of brutal killings of Afghans who collaborated with the US and other coalition forces during the conflict, has angered lawmakers and the military.

“They basically just put all these Afghans on a kill list,” said one Defense Department official, who like others spoke on condition of anonymity. - That's just terrible".

US President Joe Biden said he was not sure of the existence of such lists, but he did not deny that sometimes the US gives names to the Taliban.

“There have been cases where our military contacted their military counterparts from the Taliban and said, for example, such and such a bus filled with the next group is passing by with X number of people on it. We want you to allow him to pass,” the official said. - So yes, there were such cases. As far as I know, they were allowed through then.”

On the subject: The Taliban continues to hunt, and the United States continues to evacuate: how the situation in Afghanistan is developing

“I can’t say with certainty that there actually is a list of names,” he added. “Maybe, but I don’t know any circumstances.”

US National Security Council spokeswoman Emily Horn said: “Unfortunately, the White House was not asked for comment or explanation on such a serious matter. If asked, we would respond in the same way the president shared with the nation today: on limited occasions, we shared information with the Taliban, which successfully facilitated the evacuation from Kabul. ”

The issue of the list came up at a secret briefing on Capitol Hill, which erupted into controversy after senior Biden administration officials defended their close collaboration with the Taliban. Biden officials argued that this is the best way to keep Americans and Afghans safe, and to prevent gunfire between Taliban fighters and thousands of American soldiers stationed at the airport.

After the fall of Kabul in the early days of the evacuation, the joint US military-diplomatic coordination group at the airport provided the Taliban with a list of people the US intended to evacuate. Among them were Afghans who served alongside the Americans during the 20-year war and were seeking special US immigration visas. Also listed were United States citizens, dual citizens, and lawful permanent residents.

“They had to do this because of the security situation,” a US official said.

But after thousands of visa applicants arrived at the airport, overwhelming the U.S.'s ability to process them, the State Department reversed course—asking applicants not to come to the airport but to wait a while until they were cleared for entry. Since then, the list given to the Taliban has not included any Afghan names.

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As of August 25, only US passport and green card holders have been cleared for evacuation, according to a Defense Department spokesman.

According to some reports, members of the Taliban went door to door in search of Afghan translators and others who helped the US and Western forces.

In both oral and written communications, General Frank Mackenzie, commander of US Central Command, and Rear Admiral Peter Waseli, commander of US troops in Afghanistan, called the Taliban "our Afghan partners."

The Biden administration coordinates evacuation and airport security efforts with the Taliban, which establish checkpoints outside the outer perimeter of the airport. Officials “talk daily” with Taliban commanders about who to let in, Pentagon spokesman John Kirby told reporters this week.

The news came just hours after two ISIS terrorist attacks took place near the airport, killing the US military.

After the attacks, Senate Foreign Relations Committee Chairman Bob Menendez criticized the Biden administration's strategy to coordinate with the Taliban: "While we wait for more details, one thing is clear: we cannot trust the Taliban for American security."

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