The announcement comes after President Biden’s administration criticizes the barring of women from university.
The State Department announced that the Taliban has released two Americans that they were holding in Afghanistan. The “goodwill gesture” was made after the Taliban banned Afghani women from receiving higher education.
Press Secretary Jean-Pierre provided the White House response to the suspension of women’s education, stating, “The United States condemns the Taliban’s indefensible decision to prevent Afghan women from receiving a university-level education. This deplorable decision is the latest effort by Taliban leadership to impose additional restrictions on women and girls in Afghanistan and prevent them from exercising their human rights and fundamental freedoms.“
After the Taliban’s release of the Americans, State Department spokesperson Ned Price said, “The irony of them granting us a goodwill gesture on a day where they undertake a gesture like this to the Afghan people, it’s not lost on us.“ He added, “We are providing these two U.S. nationals with all appropriate assistance.”
As the Lord Leads, Pray with Us…
- For Secretary of State Antony Blinken as he heads diplomatic efforts around the world.
- For Karen Decker in her role as Chargé d’Affaires of the U.S. Mission to Afghanistan.
- For the released U.S. citizens and their families as they reunite.
Sources: NPR, Fox News, The White House
