On Sunday, Secretary of State Antony Blinken promised that the United States will do appropriate actions against the ISIS-K terrorists if the group pose harm to Americans.
When Secretary of State Antony Blinken was asked to define whether the mission of the Biden administration against the ISIS-K terrorist, Blinken stated that the U.S. force will be ready to retaliate if the terrorist group attacks U.S. Citizens or its allies. He likewise noted that the U.S. will proceed to have the capability to attack against targets in Afghanistan even without U.S. military force physically present on the region.
Blinken: They act against any individual who poses as a threat to America
Blinken: US will retaliate if ISIS-K attacks America, allies https://t.co/GqJEDPq3Dx pic.twitter.com/6rqrhFLKaG
— New York Post (@nypost) August 29, 2021
During an interview with NBC, Blinken stated that if they see any individual who poses as a threat to Americans, they will do appropriate actions against it, particularly if it turns into an outward-directed threat.
The Secretary of State added that they will be very vigilant of any development of reoccurrence of a threat coming from Afghanistan towards the United States and towards any of the U.S. partners and allies. He added that they will ensure that they have the ability to deal with these threats.
When Blinken was asked about the United States’s ability to attack the ISIS-K terrorist group after their full withdrawal of troops and diplomatic officials from Afghanistan, he noted that they have the capability to go against people in regions without U.S. military occupation.
Blinken emphasized that the U.S. has the capacity all over the world, including Afghanistan, to strike against terrorist groups who are threatening to harm America.
The U.S. will continue to have the capability to strike the terrorist groups in Afghanistan even after all the U.S. presence are withdrawn from the country
The Secretary of State then mentioned a number of countries such as Syria, Somalia, Yemen, and Libya, where he said the United States does not have military force on the ground of any kind, and yet they were able to go after people who threaten America. He went on and stated that the U.S. will “retain” this type of capacity in Afghanistan.
On Sunday, Blinken also noted that it is highly unlikely for America to still have a diplomatic presence in Afghanistan after the August 31 deadline, particularly when all the U.S. military personnel are fully removed out of the country.
Blinken: U.S. will continue evacuating people from Afghanistan after deadline. https://t.co/GWeJoMPlav
— U.S. News & World Report (@usnews) August 29, 2021
However, Blinken insisted that the administration will be able to help Afghans who are seeking to leave the country.
Meanwhile, Biden maintained that the U.S. will still follow the August 31 withdrawal dealine for U.S. forces in the war-torn region.
Biden stated that what is going to happen afterward is that the administration’s commitment to Afghans who wanted to leave the country and for Afghan allies who are still in the country, still persists. The president noted that there is no deadline on this effort and they have “mechanisms” and “ways” to help with the ongoing department of Afghans if they opt to leave the country.
