Blinken on Taliban’s role in evacuations: ‘They are in control of Kabul. That is the reality’

Secretary of State Antony Blinken said during a discussion about the Taliban’s role in the evacuation of Americans from Afghanistan that U.S. officials have to deal with the “reality” that the insurgent group is in control of Kabul. 

“They are in control of Kabul. That is the reality. That’s the reality that we have to deal with,” Blinken said while appearing on CBS’s “Face the Nation.”

U.S. officials have said there is an agreement with the Taliban to guarantee the safe passage of Americans to the Kabul airport.

Guest host Major Garrett asked Blinken how comfortable he was with the situation. 

“What I’m focused on, what we’re all focused on, is getting people out and making sure that we’re doing everything possible to do that. And in this case it is, I think, a requirement of the job to be in contact with the Taliban, which controls Kabul,” Blinken said.

.@SecBlinken says U.S. contact with Taliban has been “very important to making sure that we can actually advance our own interests in getting people out safely and effectively as possible”: “They are in control of Kabul. That is the reality.” pic.twitter.com/Via2dhdbIu

— Face The Nation (@FaceTheNation) August 22, 2021

Garrett also asked whether the U.S. negotiating with the Taliban gives the insurgent militant group legitimacy.

“No,” Blinken replied. “We’ve had, for a long time, contact with the Taliban, both at a political level in Doha, going back some years, as well as now on the ground in Kabul, a working relationships in order to deconflict, in order to work through any problems with people getting to the airport.”

Blinken also said on Sunday that the U.S. has evacuated 8,000 people from Afghanistan in the past 24 hours and around 30,000 people since the end of July.