‘JUST APPALLING’

U.S. Gave Taliban List of Americans, Afghan Allies in Kabul: Report

The move was meant to facilitate a speedy evacuation, but some officials say it effectively handed the Taliban a kill list instead.

The U.S. gave the Taliban a list of Americans, Afghan collaborators, and green card holders in Kabul as part of evacuation efforts, Politico reports. The decision to hand over the names of people who have been targets of the group in the past has infuriated some lawmakers and officials. But authorities said the move was meant to ensure that the people on the list would be allowed to pass Taliban checkpoints, enter the Kabul airport, and evacuate from Afghanistan ahead of the Aug. 31 deadline, Politico reports. The insurgent group often murdered those who have worked with the U.S. when it held power decades ago and during the ensuing war, though it has pledged to allow Americans to evacuate the country after its recent takeover. One Pentagon official told Politico, “Basically, they just put all those Afghans on a kill list. It’s just appalling and shocking and makes you feel unclean.”