The Power-Drunk Taliban Just Threatened The US
Biden chose the worst time to pull the US out of Afghanistan. While there was never a long-term plan to remain in Afghanistan, the fact is that Biden pulled troops in the midst of a Taliban resurgence. To make matter worse, there were hundreds of Americans stranded by the administration.
We warned that Biden's ignorance would only prove to embolden the terrorist organization—And it did. The Taliban immediately declared victory over the US and has since sent several 'warnings'. Now, they have threatened the US claiming there will be consequences should flyovers continue.
"The Taliban on Wednesday warned the U.S. against flying drones over its "sacred airspace" or there could be "negative consequences."
"We recently saw [the] United States violating all international rights, laws and … commitments made to the [Taliban] in Doha, Qatar, as Afghanistan’s sacred airspace is being invaded by U.S. drones," a spokesperson said on Twitter.
"We call on all countries, especially [the] United States, to treat Afghanistan in light of international rights, laws, and commitments … in order to prevent any negative consequences."
The Pentagon did not reply to the Taliban warnings and instead directed Fox News to comments made by press secretary John Kirby, who said the U.S. retains "all necessary authorities to execute over-the-horizon counterterrorism operations."
"We remain confident in these capabilities moving forward," he told reporters Friday. "Without speaking to specific rules of engagement surrounding airstrikes, there is currently no requirement to clear airspace with the Taliban. And we do not expect that any future over-the-horizon counterterrorism strikes would hinge on such a clearance."
While it is nice to see the Pentagon take a somewhat stronger stance with the Taliban than Biden, the reality is that there could be a massive hostage situation brewing. The US still has a number of Americans trapped in Afghanistan.
"So as of the end of last week, we had about 100 hundred American citizens in Afghanistan who told us that they wish to leave the country. And I want to emphasize that this is a snapshot in time. It's more accurately a moving picture, as you know, stepping back for a minute to know precisely at any given moment of time exactly how many American citizens are in any country," Blinken told the House Foreign Affairs Committee."
It is wise to stand their ground with the terrorist organization. It would be even wiser to get the Americans and allies out before the Taliban uses them as pawns.