Pentagon press secretary John Kirby said Sunday the United States will not turn its back on the dangers facing women and girls in Afghanistan as the Taliban increases its land and power base.
In an interview on “Fox News Sunday,” the Department of Defense spokesman said the progress of women and girls there “is the world’s problem.”
“It's everybody's problem,” he said. “We obviously share the concerns over the progress that we've made -- that's why we continue to call for a negotiated political solution to the end of this war that is Afghan-led, that the Afghan people have a voice in saying and is not imposed on them outside the country,” he said.
“It's got to be Afghan-led in it's peaceful negotiated sentiment,” he insisted.
Kirby added President Joe Biden “has made clear we are going to keep a diplomatic presence in Kabul.”
“That means continuing the programs and initiatives that we continue to espouse for women and girls, for literacy, for education, for advancement, and for reform,” he declared.
According to Kirby, Afghan forces have to “step up” and push back on the advancing Taliban.
“We are certainly watching with deep concern the deteriorating security situation and the violence, which is of course way too high, and the advances and the momentum that the Taliban seems to have right now,” he said.
“Which is why we are, again, working with our Afghan partners to encourage them to use the capacity and the capability that we know they have and we know that they know-how to defend their country. This is a time for them to step up and do exactly that.”
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Fran Beyer ✉
Fran Beyer is a writer with Newsmax and covers national politics.
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