On the 30th of June, US President Joe Biden, in an ‘off-the-cuff’ remark admitted that Washington is getting help from Afghanistan’s Taliban to ‘end’ the threat of Al-Qaeda.
Biden made this open admission while addressing a Press Conference on Supreme Court’s decision to block his government’s student debt relief program. He made the comments when a reporter asked whether he admitted that any mistake was committed during the Afghanistan withdrawal in 2021 or not.
The reporter said that a report said that there were failures and mistakes in withdrawal from Afghanistan, and asked whether the president admits to the same. Responding to this, Biden argued that the evidence claimed otherwise and stated that the Taliban is helping the US in its fight against Al-Qaeda.
The White House transcript quoted Biden saying, “No, no. All the evidence is coming back. Do you remember what I said about Afghanistan? I said al Qaeda would not be there. I said it wouldn’t be there. I said we’d get help from the Taliban. What’s happening now? What’s going on? Read your press. I was right.”
With these comments, President Biden directly implied that the Taliban administration in Afghanistan is helping the US to fight against Al Qaeda.
Apparently, this admission of help from the Taliban in ending the terror module of Al-Qaeda is in stark opposition to a UN report that was released last month. The report categorically highlighted that the Taliban has been maintaining “strong and symbiotic” ties with Al-Qaeda.
The UN report also asserted that Al-Qaeda “is rebuilding operational capability” on Afghan soil. Furthermore, the UN report alerted about the rising threat of terrorism in the region. The report stated that both Al-Qaeda and the Islamic State’s Afghan affiliate ISKP are growing substantially in numbers and capabilities due to the absence of US or Western forces in the country.
It stated that “the link between the Taliban and both Al-Qaeda and Tehrik-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP) remains strong and symbiotic. A range of terrorist groups has greater freedom of manoeuvre under the Taliban de facto authorities. They are making good use of this, and the threat of terrorism is rising in both Afghanistan and the region.”
Taliban flaunts Biden’s remark as its certificate
Joe Biden’s remark claiming that the Taliban is helping them to end the terror infrastructure of Al-Qaeda was quickly used by the Taliban regime in Afghanistan to certify itself.
Taliban’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs hailed Biden’s remark adding that the Islamic Emirate considers the remarks about “the non-existence of armed groups in Afghanistan as an acknowledgement of reality.”
The Ministry said, “We consider remarks by US President Joe Biden about the non-existence of armed groups in Afghanistan as an acknowledgement of reality. It refutes the recent report by the UN Sanctions Monitoring Team alleging the presence & operation of over twenty armed groups in Afghanistan.”
The colossal failure: Troop withdrawal from Afghanistan in 2021
It is important to note that a recent US State Department report held both Trump and Biden administrations responsible for the chaotic withdrawal from Afghanistan, back in 2021.
The report criticised the handling of the 2021 evacuation from Afghanistan by both the Biden and Trump administrations. It noted that the troop withdrawal had “serious consequences for the viability” and security of the former U.S.-backed Ashraf Ghani government in Afghanistan.
Without explicitly mentioning his name, the report also reflected adversely on the Secretary of State Anthony Blinken.
The report read, “Naming a 7th-floor principal … would have improved coordination across different lines of effort.”
It is important to note here that the seven floor has offices of the State Department including that of Blinken and other senior diplomats have offices.