Blinken said after a meeting with his German colleague Heiko Maas at the US air force base Ramstein in Rhineland-Palatinate that the militant Islamists had previously asserted that they would also include other groups. The transitional government now consists exclusively of members and allies of the Taliban. The careers of some of the nominated members of the government are also of concern.
The Taliban appointed Siradschuddin Hakkani, who is on the US wanted list as a terrorist, as future Minister of the Interior. The US Federal Police FBI has offered a bounty of up to 10 million dollars (almost 8.5 million euros) for clues that lead to his arrest. Blinken emphasized: “The nature of the relationship between the Taliban-led government and us and the international community will depend entirely on its actions in the coming weeks and months.”
Blinken called on the Taliban to keep their promise to allow Afghans to leave the country with appropriate travel documents. He referred to charter planes in the northern Afghan city of Mazar-i-Sharif, with which Afghans seeking protection were to be flown out, but who were being stopped by the Taliban. The US continued to exert pressure on the Islamists so that the planes and the people on board could leave Afghanistan. Blinken also called on the Taliban to allow humanitarian aid for the people in need.