“This particular person went to Afghanistan after the US drawdown had been accomplished,” Sullivan instructed CNN’s Jake Tapper on “State of the Union.” “I am not going to get into the sensitivity of it, however I can guarantee you that it’s being dealt with on the highest ranges of our authorities.”
The folks being held now embrace six British residents, considered one of whom is an American authorized resident, and one US citizen, sources with direct information of the matter in Afghanistan, america and the UK have instructed CNN.
The rationale for every particular detention is unclear, and they don’t seem to be thought all to be associated.
Emily Horne, a spokesperson for the US Nationwide Safety Council, has referred to as the detentions “unacceptable” and stated the US has been involved with the Taliban because it urges the group to launch the Westerners.
“It is fully unacceptable for the Taliban to carry hostage human beings, and fully antithetical to their purported aspiration to be considered as a reputable actor on the world stage,” Horne stated. “Via direct and oblique communications with the Taliban, we’ve got urged the discharge of any and all people who’re unjustly being held by the Taliban and their proxies. As a result of privateness, security, and operational issues, we’ve got no additional remark right now.”
One senior commander stated the army would have been “significantly better ready to conduct a extra orderly” evacuation “if policymakers had paid consideration to the symptoms of what was taking place on the bottom,” The Publish reported.
Sullivan additionally on Sunday rejected reporting the administration ignored warnings to evacuate America’s Embassy in Kabul within the ultimate days of the US struggle in Afghanistan.
“I’ve communicated to them instantly from President Biden that it’s a precedence of ours to get them residence safely. The Russians have been keen to interact in varied channels to debate a approach to make that occur, and we’re actively engaged in an effort to try this,” Sullivan stated. “And I am not going to share extra right here due to the apparent sensitivity of it, however we want to get Paul and Trevor residence as quickly as attainable.”
CNN’s Chandelis Duster, Kylie Atwood and Peter Bergen contributed to this report.
