U.S. President Joe Biden says he doesn’t believe the Taliban has changed and the militant group is now going through an “existential crisis” about whether it wants legitimacy on the global stage after seizing power in Afghanistan.
When asked in an ABC interview that aired on August 19 if he thought the Taliban had changed, Biden responded, “No.”
“I think they’re going through sort of an existential crisis about do they want to be recognized by the international community as being a legitimate government? I’m not sure they do,” Biden said.
Western powers face the decision whether to deal with the Taliban they had fought for nearly 20 years after the militants seized control of Kabul on August 15, following a blitz offensive that saw a string of cities across the country fall to the fundamentalist group in quick succession, triggering fear that it will reimpose its brutal rule.
Taliban leaders have said they want peace and an inclusive government — within the values of Islam. They also have vowed not to take revenge against opponents and to respect women’s rights within the framework of Islamic law.
