US Secretary of State Antony Blinken has apparently agreed with the "reality" that the United States has to negotiate the evacuation of American citizens with the Taliban*, now that the movement has seized control of Kabul and the president has fled the country.
Appearing on CBS's "Face the Nation", Blinken was asked by the host whether Washington indeed needed to get the Taliban's permission in order for Americans to leave the country.
"They are in control of Kabul. That is the reality. That's the reality that we have to deal with," Blinken replied.
"What I'm focused on, what we're all focused on, is getting people out and making sure that we're doing everything possible to do that. And in this case it is, I think, a requirement of the job to be in contact with the Taliban, which controls Kabul," he added.
According to the State Department, there is an agreement with the Islamists to provide a safe passage for the evacuees. This, however, comes amid earlier statements by the Pentagon that Americans trying to leave have been harrased and even "beaten" by the movement's members on the way to an evacuation point not under control of the Taliban.
* A terrorist organization banned in Russia