- The United States is closely monitoring the Taliban's treatment of its population: Miller.
- The Taliban's relationship with the world depends on their actions.
- He also deplores the application of the “moral code” in Kabul.
WASHINGTON: The United States has denied providing financial assistance or any kind of support to the Taliban-led regime in Afghanistan.
“I've made it clear in previous briefings: We do not provide any funding to the Taliban,” U.S. State Department spokesman Matthew Miller said during a news conference in Washington.
The official's comments came in response to a question citing remarks by State Department principal deputy spokesperson Vedant Pate on the provision of $300 million to the war-ravaged country through the United States Agency for International Development (USAID) in different forms.
Highlighting the United Nations report on the treatment of women and girls and moral policing in Afghanistan, Miller criticized Kabul for its unpredictable and arbitrary application of the Taliban's moral code, calling it something that undermines human rights in the country.
The spokesman added that Washington continues to closely monitor the Taliban's treatment of the people of Afghanistan and that the Biden administration expects them to honor their assurances to the Afghan people and the international community in this regard.
“His [Taliban’s] “The relationship with the international community depends entirely on their actions,” he said.
Miller was further asked about the scourge of terrorism in Pakistan, especially recent incidents including last week's killing of former Senator Hidayat Ullah by a “remote-controlled” bomb blast in Bajaur last week and the martyrdom of Pakistan Army Captain Muhammad Osama bin Arshad in a shootout with terrorists this week.
In this regard, the spokesman stressed that Islamabad and Washington share an interest in combating threats to regional security.
“We partner with a variety of Pakistani civilian institutions and engage regularly with the Government of Pakistan to identify opportunities to build capacity and strengthen regional security,” he added.
