Giving Washington lists of Americans "at risk" to the Taliban raises controversy and criticism
Has the United States given the Taliban movement lists of Americans and Afghans "in danger" to facilitate their evacuation?
This hypothesis, which President Joe Biden did not deny, sparked criticism from his opponents Friday in Washington.
The controversy stemmed from an article published by Politico on Thursday, in which it stated that US officials in Kabul had given the Taliban "a list of names of American citizens" and "Afghan allies to allow them to enter" at the airport.
When Biden was asked about the issue during his press conference Thursday, he seemed to acknowledge the possibility.
"I can't tell you for sure if there really is a list of names," he said.
It is possible, but I am not aware of it.
He added, "This does not mean that it did not happen, if we said maybe, these are the names of 12 people who will pray, let them pass, this is quite possible."
He explicitly confirmed that the US military sometimes "contacted its military counterparts in the Taliban movement to tell them, for example, that, that bus arrives with such and such a number of people on board, or a certain group of people."
"It has never occurred to us in the history of our country that our government would give names of Americans to the Taliban," House Republican Leader Kevin McCarthy said Friday.
He blamed Biden for not "providing conditions" for a safe evacuation, while others accused the administration of handing the Taliban "lists of people to kill" that included the names of Afghans who had dealt with the United States and were therefore at risk of reprisals.
In the face of the wave of criticism, US officials stressed on Friday the need for "coordination" with the Taliban, who control the entrances to the airport, to carry out the evacuations.
"What's very important right now, is to make sure that when people approach the checkpoints, the Taliban who are manning those checkpoints know who's coming and what documents they're supposed to be carrying" in order to "get people in as quickly as possible," said military official General Hank Taylor. Available time".
For their part, Defense Ministry officials confirmed that talking about “lists of names” handed over to the Taliban was a mistake, pointing to the exchange of information about cars or convoys, such as car registration numbers or the time of arrival at the airport, without categorically ruling out the possibility of giving names in cases certain.
Officials emphasized that this coordination has been beneficial, as it has allowed the evacuation of tens of thousands of people since mid-August.
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