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The United States Army negotiated a secret agreement with the Taliban that resulted in members of the militant group escorting groups of Americans to the gates of the Kabul airport as they tried to escape Afghanistan, according to the testimony of two defense officials to CNN .
One of the officials also revealed that the special operations forces of the United States established a “secret door” at the airport and established “call centers” to guide the Americans through the evacuation process.
While one of the military officers said that The deal with the Taliban “worked wonderfully”, Americans involved in an unofficial network dedicated to helping vulnerable Americans and Afghans said that there were problems, even Particularly at the beginning, as the Taliban rejected US citizens and legal permanent residents that the militant group was supposed to allow passage.
The two US defense officials said that Americans were notified to head to prearranged “assembly points” near the airport , where the Taliban would verify their credentials and take them a short distance to a gate manned by US forces who were waiting to be admitted to the Kabul airport, amid the large crowds of Afghans also seeking evacuation.
American troops could see their compatriots approaching with their Taliban escorts as they advanced through the crowd, presumably ready to intervene in case. e something happened.
Several sources in the United States who were in contact with people trying to escape reported to CNN that US citizens and passport holders in Kabul did not believe it when they were told they would receive safe passage from the Taliban. Many thought they were misunderstanding the instructions and asked for clarification.
Sources in the United States told CNN that had to assure those attempting to use a meeting point at the Interior Ministry that the Taliban would allow them to pass.
The two US defense officials spoke on condition of anonymity due to the delicacy of the agreements, which have not been disclosed until now because the United States was concerned by the reaction of the Taliban to any publicity, as well as by the threat of attacks by ISIS- K in groups, officials said.
The terrorist branch of the Islamic State (ISIS) who identifies as ISIS-K, and is a sworn enemy of the Taliban, claimed responsibility for an attack suicide bomber at a Kabul airport gate last week who killed 13 US military and more than 170 Afghans.
The United States has had military and diplomatic contact with the Taliban for years, through political talks and conflict elimination efforts, but the agreement of secret evacuation between the militant group and the US military reflects an unprecedented level of tactical coordination.
While it is not known if there is any connection, CIA Director William Burns made a very unusual visit last week to Kabul, where he met with Taliban leader Abdul Ghani Baradar, as the Biden administration struggled for the airlift operations that ensured evacuation to continue smoothly.
Biden administration officials emphasized that the Taliban were cooperating and Senior officials repeatedly emphasized that the militant group had promised to provide “safe passage” for the Americans during the evacuation.