Cheney: U.S. Must Not Put Our Security In The Hands Of The Taliban Or Accept A Deal That Enables Future Attacks By Al Qaeda Or ISIS

Statement

Rep. Cheney States That Any Deal That Doesn't Meet These Standards Would Result In The U.S. "Retreating And Ceding The Battlefield To Our Enemies, Including Al Qaeda, The Group Responsible For Killing Nearly 3,000 Americans On 9/11."

As first reported by Fox News this morning, House Republican Conference Chair and Wyoming Congresswoman Liz Cheney (R-WY) released the following statement calling for any potential agreement between the U.S. and the Taliban to be made public and detailing elements required for a legitimate agreement, including that Taliban leaders must explicitly renounce al Qaeda.

"Throughout ongoing talks between the U.S. and the Taliban, the Taliban has waged daily attacks that resulted in the deaths of American soldiers and their allies, as well as innocent civilians. The Taliban deliberately terrorizes schools, profits from drug trafficking, and dispatches its suicide bombers throughout the country. The Taliban continues to fight alongside al Qaeda -- an alliance the two groups have maintained for over two decades. Just recently, the Taliban released a video justifying al Qaeda's attacks on the U.S. on 9/11.

"Given the Taliban's sordid history and ongoing violence, it is vital that the full text of any agreement between the U.S. and the Taliban, including supposed counterterrorism assurances, be released to the public. Any legitimate agreement will include a public, explicit renunciation of al Qaeda from top Taliban leaders, as well as commitments from the Taliban to protect the hard-won rights of women and girls, support the legitimacy of the Afghan Constitution, stop receiving funds or military support from malign sources, and actively participate in future counter-terror operations. Without these elements and corresponding verification mechanisms, we will not be ending the war--we will be retreating and ceding the battlefield to our enemies, including the organization that harbored the terrorists responsible for killing nearly 3,000 Americans on 9/11. Without these elements, Al Qaeda and other terrorist organizations will have the ability to once again establish safe-havens from which they can plot, plan, train for and launch attacks against the United States and our allies.

"President Trump has led the way in freeing America from one-sided agreements that undermine our national security. He has demonstrated his refusal to accept bad deals that put America and our interests at risk. The same crystal clear judgment must apply with the al Qaeda-allied Taliban."

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