The US Department of State has said that it has no plans to send any officials to visit Afghanistan, following strong opposition from the House Foreign Affairs Committee chairman, Michael McCaul.
During a press briefing on Tuesday, the Deputy spokesperson for the US Department of State, Vedant Patel, stated, “There are no department officials who have any plans to travel to Afghanistan.”
Michael McCaul, in a letter to Antony Blinken on Monday, expressed concerns about the US’s engagement with the Taliban, warning against travels by US officials to Kabul.
“I am writing to express my strong opposition to US government officials traveling to Taliban-controlled Afghanistan,” McCaul stated.
Meanwhile, the Deputy spokesperson of the US Department of State stated that “As it relates to the United States and the Taliban, we have been incredibly clear, quite regularly condemning the clear backsliding that we’re seeing in Afghanistan, the egregious human rights abuses, the marginalization of women and girls, and it continues to be our viewpoint.”
Furthermore, Patel emphasized that if the Taliban aims to gain international recognition, they must take concrete actions and implement policies that are in line with international norms and standards in Afghanistan.
“The U.S. is going to be watching very closely and will continue to take appropriate action as needed,” he stressed.
