Tuesday, Biden National Security Advisor Jake Sullivan did not rule out providing aid to the Taliban following the United States’ withdrawal out of Afghanistan.
Sullivan told ABC News’ “Good Morning America” that giving aid to the Taliban will be about whether the terrorist organization follows through on its commitments, including safe passage for Americans and Afghan allies.
“[F]irst of all, we do believe that there is an important dimension of humanitarian assistance that should go directly to the people of Afghanistan,” Sullivan outlined. “They need help with respect to health and food aid and other forms of subsistence, and we do intend to continue that. Secondly, when it comes to our economic and development assistance relationship with the Taliban, that will be about the Taliban’s actions. It will be about whether they follow through on their commitments, their commitments to safe passage for Americans and Afghan allies, their commitment to not allow Afghanistan to be a base from which terrorists can attack the United States or any other country, their commitments with respect to upholding international obligations. It’s going to be up to them, and we will wait and see by their actions how we end up responding in terms of the economic and developmental assistance relationship.”
Host George Stephanopoulos asked if the assistance would flow through the Taliban.
“It’s not going to flow through the Taliban,” Sullivan replied. “As you know, George, when we send humanitarian assistance to countries, we do so through … international institutions like the World Health Organization or the World Food Program, and we do so through a nongovernmental organization who, George, are still operating on the ground in Afghanistan as we speak. It will not flow through the government.”
Follow Trent Baker on Twitter @MagnifiTrent
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