In his first sit-down interview since the Taliban took over Afghanistan, President Joe Biden stated that he does not believe the militant group has changed and does not expect it to, which is why it is critical to evacuate all Americans and “as many” Afghan women as possible.
“I think they’re going through sort of an existential crisis about do they want to be recognized by the international community as being a legitimate government. I’m not sure they do,” he told George Stephanopoulos on “Good Morning America.”
YOU MAY ALSO LIKE: Trump Slams Biden On Eve Of Taliban Victory In Afghanistan, ‘Resign In Disgrace’
The ultraconservative Islamist group appears more committed to its beliefs than to international recognition, according to Biden, but he added that it needs diplomatic support to survive.
He said, “They also care about whether they have food to eat, whether they have an income that can … run an economy, they care about whether they can hold together a society that they say they care so much about. I’m not counting on any of that.”
.@GStephanopoulos: “Do you believe the Taliban have changed?”
Pres. @JoeBiden: “I think they’re going through sort of an existential crisis about do they want to be recognized by the int’l community as being a legitimate government.”https://t.co/A4pXKaCLKX pic.twitter.com/XFAwi1uuMB
— Good Morning America (@GMA) August 19, 2021
Joe Biden stated that he has discussed assisting Afghan women in evacuating their country and has directed US troops to place them and their families on planes if possible. But he admitted that he couldn’t help everyone.
“The idea that we’re able to deal with the rights of women around the world by military force is not rational. Not rational. Look what’s happened to the Uighurs in western China. Look what’s happening in other parts of the world.
“There are a lot of places where women are being subjugated. The way to deal with that is not with a military invasion. The way to deal with that is putting economic, diplomatic, and international pressure on them to change their behavior,” the president said.
On Tuesday, a Taliban spokesperson promised that women’s rights would be respected in accordance with Islamic law and that the group’s insurgents would not exact vengeance on anyone who had worked with the previous government or foreign forces.
However, many Afghans remain skeptical, and Biden admitted to Stephanopoulos that his administration had not expected the Taliban to make evacuation efforts as difficult as they have.
“Look, one of the things we didn’t know is what the Taliban would do in terms of trying to keep people from getting out what they would do. What are they doing now? They’re cooperating, letting American citizens get out, American personnel gets out.”
But he said, “we’re having some more difficulty” helping people in Afghanistan who have provided support to the U.S. military over the years. “
