Blinken says US has 'significant leverage' to ensure Taliban make good on commitments

[Yo_Mama_Been_Loggin]

Source: The Hill

Secretary of State Antony Blinken said in an interview broadcast Sunday that the Biden administration has "significant leverage" to ensure that the Taliban make good on their commitments to allow people to exit Afghanistan past the Aug. 31 U.S. troop withdrawal deadline.

"One hundred fourteen countries have made very clear that it is their expectation that the Taliban will permit freedom of travel going past August 31st," Blinken said on ABC's "This Week."

"So, that is a clear expectation across the entire world, across the entire international community. Third, we have very significant leverage to work with over the weeks and months ahead to incentivize the Taliban to make good on its commitments," he added, without providing specifics.

Blinken also noted that a senior Taliban official had said during a television interview that Afghans would be allowed to leave the country past the Aug. 31 deadline.



Read more: https://www.msn.com/en-us/news/world/blinken-says-us-has-significant-leverage-to-ensure-taliban-make-good-on-commitments/ar-AANS5kR?li=BBnb7Kz

[PatSeg]

1. Well, that is encouraging

I wonder what kind of "leverage" he is talking about. Obviously no one is trusting them to keep their word.

[niyad]

2. MONEY

[Me.]

3. Exactly

The fed has billions of Afghan gov. money

[PortTack]

4. Exactly!

[onetexan]

8. Bingo, and air missles

[paleotn]

6. Hellfire missiles and the occasional JDAM.

A form of money the Taliban really doesn't want. The stick part of the equation. They'd much rather have the carrot, thus they're behaving, sorta.

[PatSeg]

12. Duh, I should have thought of that

and as paleotn said, the stick part of the equation, "hellfire missiles".

[paleotn]

5. Money to some extent, but mainly big boom boom

Now that they're out in the open, running the country more or less, their leadership can be bombed with impunity.

[PatSeg]

13. Excellent point

[SpankMe]

7. Total bullshit.

The Taliban will never honor any deal made with them. The history on this is crystal clear. They will not honor any commitment or respond logically or rationally to any leverage.

These "people" are terrorists and suffer from collective mental illness. They are time travelers from the 13 century who have no hope of coming around to present day standards of human rights, dignity, liberty and self determination. I question their humanity to the point where I get satisfaction when one dies. I'm even happier if I know their deaths were violent.

I'm fed up with the whole thing. I'm fed up with criticisms of Joe. I'm fed up with the fact that we've learned nothing after the last 20 years. I'm fed up that every country in the world isn't diving in there to remove any and all women, religious minorities, children and LGBTQ people. I'm fed up that anyone who is clearly gay and applies for asylum actually has to prove they're under threat, and that they're threatened because they're gay. If you're gay, and you're in Afghanistan, you're threatened by default.

What. The. Fuck.

[Me.]

10. Yes, THe Situation For Gay People Is Especially Perilous

and needs to be addressed but I don't know how it will be done unless gay advocate groups are involved.

[VarryOn]

9. We've been played like a cheap fiddle nt

[Steelrolled]

11. I would not want to be on that last American plane leaving the Kabul airport.

Too tempting for the Taliban.

[mwooldri]

14. How much is the USA leaning on Pakistan?

Pakistan kinda supports the Taliban. It's possible the USA is working its contacts in Pakistan and ensuring the Taliban are somewhat compliant that way. But this is just my speculation.