And other times — almost all of the time — the Taliban work with and protect Al Qaeda, at least, out of a shared world view, mutually supporting goals, and two generations of intermarriage at all levels. I need to see Secretary of State Rubio’s full statement in context before believing that this conveys his meaning and intent.
[ToloNews] US Secretary of State Marco Rubio
...The diminutive 13-year-old Republican U.S. Senator from Florida, Secretary of State in the second Trump administration...said that the Islamic Emirate has, in some instances, cooperated with Washington in eliminating ISIS and al-Qaeda.
In an interview with an American media outlet, he said that a lack of control over these groups in Afghanistan gives them the opportunity to expand their activities.
Marco Rubio stated: "I think any time you have governing spaces that are contested, that you don’t have a government that has full control of every part of the territory, it creates the opportunity for these groups."
The US Secretary of State also stressed that America's concerns are not limited to Afghanistan, and mentioned Syria as another security threat.
"In my opinion, this is a baseless claim because, over the past three and a half years, the current government has proven its authority in Afghanistan and has not lost control over even a small portion of its territory. They should clarify which part of the country is outside the government’s control," said Moeen Gul Samkanai, a political analyst.
"These are just media statements. So far, they have not provided any global proof, nor does such proof exist, to suggest that Afghanistan poses a threat to the world or its neighboring countries," said Hewad Zazi, another political analyst.
Meanwhile,
...back at the comedy club, Boogie was cracking himself up, but nobody else seemed to be getting the non-stop jokes...
in a recent statement, a spokesperson for the Ministry of Interior told TOLOnews that ISIS has been suppressed in Afghanistan and that there are no concerns regarding threats from this group.
Related: The US State Department section on Afghanistan
Interesting Rubio interview with Megyn Kelly(Jan.30) that covers key concerns around the globe and also diplomatic philosophy:
“So I think returning us to that, now you can have a framework by which you analyze not just diplomacy but foreign aid and who we would line up with and the return of pragmatism. And that’s not an abandonment of our principles. I’m not a fan or a giddy supporter of some horrifying human rights violator somewhere in the world. By the same token, diplomacy has always required us and foreign policy has always required us to work in the national interest, sometimes in cooperation with people who we wouldn’t invite over for dinner or people who we wouldn’t necessarily ever want to be led by. And so that’s a balance, but it’s the sort of pragmatic and mature balance we have to have in foreign policy. “Interesting Rubio interview with Megyn Kelly(Jan.30) that covers key concerns around the globe and also diplomatic philosophy: