General says teaming with Taliban on strikes 'possible'

“Whether or not they change remains to be seen,” Joint Chiefs of Staff Gen. Mark Milley said of the Taliban during a briefing Wednesday at the Pentagon, calling them “ruthless.”
(AP/Susan Walsh)
“Whether or not they change remains to be seen,” Joint Chiefs of Staff Gen. Mark Milley said of the Taliban during a briefing Wednesday at the Pentagon, calling them “ruthless.” (AP/Susan Walsh)

WASHINGTON -- Army Gen. Mark Milley, chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, said Wednesday that it's "possible" the U.S. will seek to coordinate with the Taliban on counterterrorism strikes in Afghanistan against Islamic State militants or others.

Milley did not elaborate, and his comment did not appear to suggest immediate plans to work with the Taliban.

U.S. military commanders coordinated daily with Taliban commanders outside the Kabul airport over the past three weeks to facilitate the evacuation of more than 124,000 people. But that was a matter of convenience for both parties and not necessarily a sign that they will pursue, or even want, a regular relationship in the future.

The U.S. military ousted the Taliban from power in the fall of 2001 and fought against them for the years that followed.

The extent and nature of a U.S.-Taliban relationship, now that the war is over, is one of the key issues to be worked out. The U.S. diplomatic presence in Kabul has been moved to Doha, Qatar. President Joe Biden has noted several times recently that the Taliban are avowed enemies of the Islamic State militant group in Afghanistan, suggesting a shared interest with the U.S.

At a Pentagon news conference with Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin, Milley called the Taliban "ruthless" and added, "Whether or not they change remains to be seen." He suggested that the recent cooperative arrangement with the Taliban at the Kabul airport was not necessarily a model for the future.

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"In war, you do what you must in order to reduce risk to mission and force, not what you necessarily want to do," Milley said.

Biden has promised further targeting of the Islamic State militants in Afghanistan in response to that group's suicide bombing last week at a Kabul airport gate that killed as many as 170 Afghans and 13 American service members. Saturday, the U.S. military carried out a drone strike in Afghanistan that it said killed two Islamic State planners. Tuesday, Biden said, "To ISIS-K: We are not done with you yet," referring to the Islamic State group.

Targeting Islamic State militants or other extremist groups, such as al-Qaida, will be more difficult with no U.S. military forces on the ground and no friendly government forces with which to share intelligence on extremist networks. But the Biden administration asserts that it can contain these groups by monitoring and potentially striking with assets based elsewhere in the region.

Although the Taliban oppose Islamic State, it's far from clear that they will be inclined to work with the U.S. military or the Central Intelligence Agency now that they have regained power in Kabul. Milley has recent experience with Taliban leaders; twice last year, most recently in December, he met face-to-face with them in an attempt to slow their attacks on the U.S.-backed Afghan government, which collapsed in mid-August, triggering the frantic U.S.-led evacuation.

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Austin sounded at least as skeptical as Milley regarding the possibility that the coordination in recent days at the Kabul airport suggests a future relationship with the Taliban.

"I would not make any leaps of logic to broader issues," said Austin.

Both Austin and Milley commanded troops in Afghanistan during the 20-year war and their comments at Wednesday's news conference largely focused on tributes to those who served in Afghanistan, including those who died or were wounded. They also thanked all who contributed to the final airlift, which Austin called the largest evacuation of civilians in American history.

Milley and Austin urged war veterans to view their service as worthwhile and appreciated by the American public, while acknowledging that the memories can be painful.

"War is hard. It's vicious. It's brutal. It's unforgiving," Milley said. "Yes, we all have pain and anger. When we see what has unfolded over the last 20 years and over the last 20 days, that creates pain and anger."

BIDEN AND TALIBAN

With the U.S. involvement in the war over and all American military out of the country, Biden is grappling with the prospects of a new relationship with the Taliban. He has tasked Secretary of State Antony Blinken with coordinating with international partners to hold the Taliban to their promise of safe passage for Americans and others who want to leave in the days ahead.

Marine Gen. Frank McKenzie, head of U.S. Central Command, has described the U.S. relationship with the Taliban during the evacuation as "very pragmatic and very businesslike," saying they helped secure the airport. But other reports from people in Afghanistan described shootings, violence and Taliban moves to block desperate Afghans from getting through the gates.

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Biden in an address to the nation Tuesday defended his decision to end America's longest war and withdraw all U.S. troops by an Aug. 31 deadline.

"I was not going to extend this forever war," Biden declared from the White House. "And I was not going to extend a forever exit."

Biden is coming under heavy criticism, particularly from Republicans, for his handling of the evacuation. But he said it was inevitable that the final departure from two decades of war, first negotiated with the Taliban for May 1 by former President Donald Trump, would have been difficult, with likely violence, no matter when it was planned and conducted.

"To those asking for a third decade of war in Afghanistan, I ask, 'What is the vital national interest?'" Biden said. He added, "I simply do not believe that the safety and security of America is enhanced by continuing to deploy thousands of American troops and spending billions of dollars in Afghanistan."

DWINDLING FOOD

The United Nations' stockpiles of food in Afghanistan could run out this month, a senior official warned Wednesday, threatening to add a hunger crisis to the challenges facing the country's new Taliban rulers as they try to restore stability after decades of war.

About one third of the country's population of 38 million doesn't know if they will have a meal every day, according to Ramiz Alakbarov, the U.N.'s humanitarian chief in Afghanistan.

The U.N.'s World Food Program has brought in food and distributed it to tens of thousands of people in recent weeks, but with winter approaching and a drought ongoing, at least $200 million is needed urgently to be able to continue to feed the most vulnerable Afghans, he said.

"By the end of September, the stocks which the World Food Program has in the country will be out," Alakbarov told reporters at a virtual news conference. "We will not be able to provide those essential food items because we'll be out of stocks."

Earlier, U.N. officials said that of the $1.3 billion needed for overall aid efforts, only 39% has been received.

The Taliban now must govern a nation that relies heavily on international aid and is in the midst of a worsening economic crisis. In addition to the concerns about food supplies, civil servants haven't been paid in months and the local currency is losing value. Most of Afghanistan's foreign reserves are held abroad and currently frozen.

Khalid Payenda, Afghanistan's former acting finance minister, on Wednesday detailed a country existing in a dangerously fragile state.

Speaking at Georgetown University in Washington, Payenda said the Afghan currency had yet to crash because money exchanges had been shuttered. But its value could plunge by more than 100%, said Payenda.

Mohammad Sharif, a shopkeeper in the capital of Kabul, said shops and markets there have supplies, but a major concern is rising food prices.

"If the situation continues like this and there is no government to control the prices, that will cause so many problems for local people," he said.

GOVERNING 'CONSENSUS'

Amid the chaotic transfer of power, the Taliban and other Afghan leaders say they have reached a "consensus" on the formation of a new government and cabinet under the leadership of the group's top spiritual leader.

Taliban supreme commander Haibatullah Akhundzada will be the top leader of any governing council, Bilal Karimi, a member of the group's cultural commission said Wednesday. Mullah Abdul Ghani Baradar, one of Akhundzada's three deputies and the main public face of the Taliban, is likely to be in charge of the daily functioning of the government, Karimi added.

"The consultations on forming an inclusive Afghan government within the Islamic Emirate's leaders, with the leaders from previous government and other influential leaders have officially ended," Karimi said. "They have reached a consensus. We're about to announce a functioning cabinet and government in a few days, not weeks."

The Taliban had been waiting for the full withdrawal of U.S. troops before making any announcements about their government, said a senior official who asked not to be identified because of the private nature of the talks. Both Akhundzada and Baradar will soon make a public appearance in Kabul, the official added.

The mood among the Taliban has been jubilant after the exit of American troops but considerable challenges lie ahead as they now look to establish a functioning government. The new leaders will have to stave off an economic crisis after the U.S. cut off aid and control spiraling inflation and also avoid a civil war with ethnic-based militias and a local off-shoot of the Islamic State terror group.

In the wake of the U.S. pullout, many Afghans are anxiously waiting to see how the Taliban will rule. When they were last in power, before being driven out by the U.S.-led invasion in 2001, they imposed draconian restrictions, refusing to allow girls to go to school, largely confining women to their homes and banning television, music and even photography.

But more recently, their leaders have sought to project a more moderate image. Schools have reopened to boys and girls, though Taliban officials have said they will study separately. Women are out on the streets wearing Islamic headscarves -- as they always have -- rather than the all-encompassing burqa the Taliban required in the past.

The president of the U.N. Security Council said Wednesday that "the real litmus test" for the new Taliban government will be how it treats women and girls. Ambassador Geraldine Byrne Nason of Ireland, which holds the council's rotating presidency, said the protection and promotion of human rights for women "must be at the very heart of our collective response to the crisis."

The challenges the Taliban face in reviving the economy could give Western nations leverage as they push the group to fulfill a pledge to form an inclusive government and guarantee women's rights. The Taliban say they want to have good relations with other countries, including the U.S.

Many Afghans fear the Taliban won't make good on those pledges and are concerned that the nation's economic situation holds little opportunity. Tens of thousands sought to flee the country as a result in a harrowing airlift.

Information for this article was contributed by Robert Burns, Lolita C. Baldor, Aamer Madhani, Kevin Freking, Kathy Gannon, Rahim Faiez, Edith M. Lederer, Tameem Akhgar and Josh Boak of The Associated Press; and by Eltaf Najafizada of Bloomberg News (TNS).

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