Blinken: Cable From US Embassy in Kabul Did Not Warn of Govt. Collapse Before US Pullout

WASHINGTON (Sputnik) - Secretary of State Antony Blinken confirmed during a congressional testimony that he had received a cable from the US embassy in Kabul about the likely collapse of the Afghan government after the United States withdrawal from Afghanistan on 31 August but pointed out the cable did not suggest a collapse before the withdrawal.

"Senator, I certainly received this cable in mid-July. I read it. I responded to it," Blinken said. "What the cable said broadly is two things. It did not suggest that the government and Security Forces were going to collapse prior to our departure."

Blinken emphasized that they expressed serious concerns about the durability of the Afghan government and forces after the United States departure and "focused on the efforts that we were making, particularly on the SIV front, to try to expedite moving them out."

On Thursday, US media reported that the July 13 internal cable warned about the Taliban* quickly capturing territories throughout Afghanistan and the subsequent collapse of the Afghan security forces.

The US diplomats in Kabul also outlined recommendations on ways to both alleviate the crisis and accelerate the evacuation, the report said.

The cable urged the State Department to use tougher language when describing the Taliban’s atrocities, the report added.

In early August, the Taliban stepped up their offensive against the Afghan government forces and entered Kabul on 15 August, completing a takeover of the country. The developments prompted a mass evacuation of citizens from Western countries as well as Afghans who had collaborated with or worked for foreign troops and organisations.

*Taliban is a terrorist organisation banned in Russia.