The United States, along with 97 other countries, announced on Sunday that it had reached an agreement with the Taliban to allow them to continue withdrawing Afghan allies from the country after the August 31 withdrawal deadline.
Why it’s important: “We are all committed to ensuring that our citizens, nationals and residents, employees, Afghans who have worked with us and those at risk can continue to travel freely to destinations outside Afghanistan,” the joint statement said.
- “We have received assurances from the Taliban that all foreign nationals and any Afghan citizen with travel authorization from our countries will be allowed to proceed safely and orderly to the points of departure and travel outside the country,” the statement continued.
- “We will continue to issue travel documents to designated Afghans and we have the clear expectation and commitment of the Taliban that they can travel to our respective countries. We take note of the Taliban’s public statements confirming this understanding.”
- Sher Mohammed Abas Stanekzai, the Taliban’s chief negotiator, said on Friday that the group would not prevent people from leaving.
Note: National Security Adviser Jake Sullivan told “Face the Nation” that the United States has “considerable leverage” to “fulfill the Taliban’s commitments.”
- “The Taliban have informed us … that they allow a safe passage. We will not just keep their word,” he added.