Anthony blinken, Former Deputy National Security Advisor of the United States

In a letter, a group of four US senators urged Secretary of State Antony Blinken on Tuesday to designate the Taliban as a foreign terrorist organisation.Senators Joni K Ernst, Tommy Tuberville, Rick Scott and Dan Sullivan said that the Taliban display the will and the means to attack Americans and US interests.Airing their concern, they wrote in the letter that the hasty and ill-conceived withdrawal of US military forces from Afghanistan created a security vacuum that the Taliban exploited and deposed governing authorities in all Afghan provinces and in the capital city of Kabul."Since re-establishing control of Afghanistan, the Taliban resumed the same murderous and oppressive habits that characterized their leadership tenure prior to the arrival of US forces in 2001," read the letter.They also talked about public attacks on individuals, beatings of women and girls, and search teams actively pursuing allies and partners."Most concerning to us is that among those beaten and chased by Taliban forces were American citizens and their families still living in Afghanistan. This is in addition to the horrific and deadly attacks on our own service members at Hamid Karzai International Airport on August 26, 2021," read the letter.Talking about significant quantities of advanced military equipment under the Taliban control, they said, "We are also concerned that the Taliban now controls significant quantities of advanced military equipment intended for use by the Afghan National Defense and Security Forces. That captured military equipment has significantly expanded the Taliban's military power and provided them with the capability and capacity to cause great harm to their intended targets."They also raised their concern about the new caretaker government of the Taliban in Afghanistan which appointed hardliners and known terrorists wanted by the FBI."The Taliban appointed Sirajuddin Haqqani, the leader of the Haqqani network and a known terrorist wanted by the FBI for the murder of American citizens, as Interior Minister and allowed terror organizations to join the government," read the letter.Pursuant to the Immigration and Nationality Act, the Secretary of State is authorized to designate foreign organizations as terrorist organizations if they meet three criteria: the organization is a foreign organization; the organization engages in terrorist activity or retains the capability and intent to engage in terrorist activity or terrorism, and the terrorist activity or terrorism of the organization threatens the security of United States nationals or the national security of the United States.The Senators told Blinken that the Taliban meets all three criteria and urged him to consider designating the Taliban as a foreign terrorist organization and treating them as such to the maximum extent of the law.( With inputs from ANI )Disclaimer: This post has been auto-published from an agency feed without any modifications to the text and has not been reviewed by an editor

Anthony BlinkenFOLLOW

Anthony blinken, Latest News

US Secretary of State Antony Blinken spoke with newly appointed UK Foreign Secretary Elizabeth Truss on Friday and discussed issues including Afghanistan, China and Iran. ...

The US and Australia urged a cessation of violence in Myanmar and called for the release of political prisoners along with those arbitrarily detained by the military following the coup. ...

The US and Australia expressed concerns regarding China's expansive maritime claims in the South China Sea and called on Beijing to implement relevant domestic legislation, including the Maritime Traffic Safety Law, in a manner consistent with UNCLOS ...

The US and Australia have stated their intent to strengthen ties with Taiwan and emphasised their support for the self-ruled island meaningful participation in international organisations. ...

Taliban must fulfil its promises that they have made in Afghanistan including a political structure where all ethnic groups are represented, said Pakistan Prime Minister Imran Khan, adding that the group must ensure that the country never again becom ...

New Delhi, Sep 17 Pakistan came out strongly against comments made by US Secretary of State Antony Blinken ... ...

The US on Friday (local time) imposed sanctions against five supporters of Al-Qaeda operating in Turkey who provided financial and logistical support to the group. ...

In a letter, a group of four US senators urged Secretary of State Antony Blinken on Tuesday to designate the Taliban as a foreign terrorist organisation. ...