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Blinken says ‘status quo was not option’ in Afghanistan

Paris - US looking 'very hard' to see if the Taleban was serious about peace.

Published: Fri 25 Jun 2021, 3:39 PM

  • By
  • AFP

Secretary of State Antony Blinken on Friday said the status quo was not an option for the US in Afghanistan, as it prepares to withdraw troops by September despite a rise in attacks.

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“We are seeing elevated attacks on the Afghan security forces in certain parts of the country compared to a year ago,” Blinken said on a visit to Paris, acknowledging the US had to look “very hard” to see if the Taleban was serious about peace.

But he added: “Had we not begun the process of drawing down... the status quo would not have helped... The status quo was not an option.”



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