After Kabul fell to the Taliban, Florida Rep. Michael Waltz (R) directed a letter to the Biden Administration, urging an immediate response in order to not “risk al Qaeda 2.0 re-emerging.” Since then, the U.S. has discussed efforts to retrieve American soldiers and others to safety as the Taliban begins to enact control over Afghanistan. The Communist Party of China reached out to the Taliban to establish connections and recognized it as a legitimate government, and now Rep. Waltz is warning the Biden Administration about weaponry the Taliban possesses, commenting that they “could be used to kill civilians.”
Today, Rep. Waltz sent a letter to Pres. Biden urging he drastically change course to help the Afghan govt in their fight against the Taliban or risk al Qaeda 2.0 re-emerging in the wake of the fall of Kabul.
Read more:https://t.co/smnFw9k1KO pic.twitter.com/BHmrjFcakm
— Congressman Waltz Press (@RepWaltzPress) August 13, 2021
On Twitter, the Green Beret provided an update, calling it “infuriating.”
Infuriating: “The Taliban are believed to control more than 2,000 armored vehicles, including U.S. Humvees, and up to 40 aircraft potentially including UH-60 Black Hawks, scout attack helicopters, and ScanEagle military drones.” https://t.co/hiEOJfMXCw
— Rep. Mike Waltz (@michaelgwaltz) August 19, 2021
Citing a Reuters article about the weaponry the Taliban now possesses as a result of taking over Kabul, Waltz shared that “the Taliban are believed to control more than 2,000 armored vehicles, including U.S. Humvees, and up to 40 aircraft potentially including UH-60 Black Hawks, scout attack helicopters, and ScanEagle military drones.”
The Florida Republican who has, in recent weeks, argued over the necessity to retrieve Afghan interpreters that have helped American soldiers in Afghanistan, provided a further warning that these weapons could be used against civilians and others.
“Current and former U.S. officials say there is concern those weapons could be used to kill civilians, be seized by other militant groups such as Islamic State to attack U.S.-interests in the region, or even potentially handed over to adversaries including China and Russia.”
The news comes as tension between the United States and the Communist Party of China has increased.
Hua Chunying, the Foreign Ministry Spokeswoman that moderated the official messaging after officials from the Taliban and the CCP met, commented that “some people stress their distrust for the Afghan Taliban,” adding that we need to see the past and present” and “we need to listen to words and watch actions.”
This, lawmakers are warning, is a grave concern.
