US Secretary Antony Blinken urges countries to hold Taliban accountable on counterterrorism

US Secretary Blinken urged unity in mitigating a potential humanitarian crisis and on holding the Taliban accountable on counterterrorism.

Image credit: Reuters

Washington: US Secretary of State Antony J Blinken urged countries to unite in holding the Taliban accountable on issues of counterterrorism and mitigating a potential humanitarian crisis in Afghanistan.

Blinken`s remarks came during a bilateral meeting on Afghanistan co-hosted by German Foreign Minister Heiko Maas along with allies and partners including India.

"Secretary Blinken urged unity in mitigating a potential humanitarian crisis and on holding the Taliban accountable on counterterrorism, on allowing safe passage for foreign citizens and Afghans who want to leave," a statement from the US State Department informed.

Blinken also said that the government formed by the Taliban should respect the basic rights of Afghans.

"The United States will continue to use economic, diplomatic, and political tools to support the rights of the Afghan people, especially women and girls, and to ensure that Afghanistan does not become a safe haven for terrorism," the statement said.

Other allies and partners who attended the ministerial meeting were representatives of Germany, Australia, Bahrain, Canada, France, Italy, Japan, Kuwait, Norway, Pakistan, Qatar, the Republic of Korea, Saudi Arabia, Spain, Tajikistan, Turkey, Turkmenistan, the United Arab Emirates, the United Kingdom, Uzbekistan, the European Union, NATO, and the UN.

Meanwhile, the participants also agreed on the importance of remaining united in their enduring support for the people of Afghanistan.

Earlier, Blinken had also expressed that the trajectory of his country`s relationship with the Taliban and support to the group will depend entirely on what it does, not just on what it says.