New Taliban government 'more of the same,' says Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin
ABC News
Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin says new Taliban government is 'more of the same" and no evidence yet that it would be inclusive as the Taliban had claimed.
KUWAIT CITY – The United States has not seen evidence that the Taliban’s newly formed government will be as inclusive as promised, and it appears to be "more of the same" with "many of the same actors," according to Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin. "I think the whole international community was hopeful that they would be inclusive as they kind of said they would be weeks and months ago," Austin told a small group of reporters traveling with him to the Middle East. "But we've not seen evidence of that early on, and so it appears to be many of the same actors." Austin said the U.S. and the international community would continue "to listen to what they're saying, but we're watching what they're doing and right now it just seems that it's more of the same." The Taliban’s new government includes several leaders of the Haqqani network, including the group’s de facto leader Sirajuddin Haqqani, who was named as interior minister. The Haqqani network has been directly tied to violent attacks against American troops over the last two decades.More Related News