In an interview, former President Donald Trump accuses the Biden administration of endangering the remaining US residents in Afghanistan by providing a list of their names to the Taliban.
“Giving the list of all Americans to the Afghans who are already getting dealt very well with, with the people when I’m dealing with them very very well, but they are enemies, giving them a list of the Americans,” Trump said. “That’s almost like, at a minimum, that’d be harsh, but it could be a death sentence.”
However, Secretary of State Antony Blinken rebutted by saying no list has been given to the Taliban, and that the US only gave names of individuals who lacked necessary documents for them to safely pass through security checkpoints.
The secretary also said that these lists weren’t “kill lists” but rather documentation of American residents in Afghanistan who needed help getting home, especially those undocumented refugees.
Blinken is appalled by the former president’s accusations, saying “The idea that we’ve done anything to put at further risk those that we’re trying to help leave the country is simply wrong. And the idea that we shared lists of Americans or others with the Taliban is simply wrong.”
Although, despite Blinken’s denial of the existence of such a list, several Republican lawmakers beg to disagree.
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These concerns about a “kill list” are seemingly warranted by the Taliban’s history of executing people who were known to help US forces.
Sources say that the Taliban has murdered at least 300 Afghans who served as interpreters for U.S. forces since 2014.
These data were obtained through No One Left Behind, which is a veteran-led group for Afghan and Iraqi interpreters.
Although, according to a Taliban statement, the group would “show remorse for their past actions and must not engage in such activities in the future that amount to treason against Islam and the country,” and thus Americans remaining in Afghanistan need not fear for their lives.
Nevertheless, the Biden administration firmly appeals to the part of the evacuees and refugees. Recently, Biden has reportedly devoted up to $500 million to assist refugees fleeing from Afghanistan.
Additionally, Biden has also pledged to provide Special Immigration Visas to help relocate thousands of Afghan interpreters and translators some of which since been relocated out of the country and are in an undisclosed location while the visa applications are processed for approval.
The White House has yet to speak up on former President Trump’s claims.
