The U.S. State Department expressed concerns Tuesday regarding the lack of diversity among Afghanistan’s new leaders, specifically a lack of women.
In a statement shared with The Hill, a State Department spokesperson said that although the Taliban “has presented this as a caretaker cabinet,” the United States “will judge the Taliban by its actions, not words.”
“We have made clear our expectation that the Afghan people deserve an inclusive government,” the spokesperson said, per the Post Millennial.
The State Department mentioned that the Taliban’s list of new leaders “consists exclusively of individuals who are members of the Taliban or their close associates and no women.”
Indeed, as previously reported by Human Events News, the Taliban announced Tuesday their interim government positions.
To no surprise, none of the positions are held by women.
Despite being in contact with the Taliban to complete additional evacuations after the military's withdrawal from Afghanistan last week, the U.S. has not officially recognized the Taliban as a legitimate power.
The State Department spokesperson said that the Biden administration will "continue to hold the Taliban to their commitments to allow safe passage for foreign nationals and Afghans with travel documents, including permitting flights currently ready to fly out of Afghanistan to agreed-upon onward destinations."
"We also reiterate our clear expectation that the Taliban ensure that Afghan soil is not used to threaten any other countries and allow humanitarian access in support of the Afghan people," the statement continued. "The world is watching closely."
