WASHINGTON (Pakistan Point News / Sputnik - 28th August, 2021) US President Joe Biden directed Secretary of State Antony Blinken to engage with the international community to decide on the path forward on Afghanistan, White House spokesperson Jen Psaki said on Friday.
"One of the steps that the President directed the Secretary of State to take was to engage with our international partners to determine what the path forward looks like," Psaki said during a press briefing.
Psaki said the international community has enormous amount of economic leverage to use against the Taliban (banned in Russia), which will be a key component once the US and Coalition forces leave Afghanistan on Tuesday.
State Department spokesperson Ned price said in later remarks that the United States is in discussions with its international partners about maintaining a diplomatic presence in Afghanistan, but a final decision has not been made yet.
Earlier on Friday, US media reported that the United States and its allies have been discussing the possibility of recognizing the Taliban government in Afghanistan.
