{"id":666541,"date":"2021-08-20T17:50:51","date_gmt":"2021-08-20T21:50:51","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/?p=666541"},"modified":"2021-08-20T17:56:51","modified_gmt":"2021-08-20T21:56:51","slug":"pentagon-aware-of-reports-that-americans-are-being-beaten-by-taliban-spokesman","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/pentagon-aware-of-reports-that-americans-are-being-beaten-by-taliban-spokesman\/","title":{"rendered":"Pentagon Aware of Reports That Americans Are Being Beaten by Taliban: Spokesman"},"content":{"rendered":"<aside class=\"mashsb-container mashsb-main mashsb-stretched\"><div class=\"mashsb-box\"><div class=\"mashsb-count mash-medium\" style=\"float:left\"><div class=\"counts mashsbcount\">24<\/div><span class=\"mashsb-sharetext\">SHARES<\/span><\/div><div class=\"mashsb-buttons\"><a class=\"mashicon-facebook mash-medium mash-nomargin mashsb-noshadow\" href=\"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/sharer.php?u=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.conservativenewsdaily.net%2Fbreaking-news%2Fpentagon-aware-of-reports-that-americans-are-being-beaten-by-taliban-spokesman%2F\" target=\"_top\" rel=\"nofollow\"><span class=\"icon\"><\/span><span class=\"text\">Facebook<\/span><\/a><a class=\"mashicon-twitter mash-medium mash-nomargin mashsb-noshadow\" href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/intent\/tweet?text=&amp;url=https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/?p=666541&amp;via=ConservNewsDly\" target=\"_top\" rel=\"nofollow\"><span class=\"icon\"><\/span><span class=\"text\">Twitter<\/span><\/a><a class=\"mashicon-subscribe mash-medium mash-nomargin mashsb-noshadow\" href=\"#\" target=\"_top\" rel=\"nofollow\"><span class=\"icon\"><\/span><span class=\"text\">Subscribe<\/span><\/a><div class=\"onoffswitch2 mash-medium mashsb-noshadow\" style=\"display:none\"><\/div><\/div>\n            <\/div>\n                <div style=\"clear:both\"><\/div><\/aside>\n            <!-- Share buttons by mashshare.net - Version: 4.0.47--><p>A spokesman for the Department of Defense (DOD) said the <a href=\"https:\/\/www.theepochtimes.com\/t-pentagon\">Pentagon<\/a> is aware of reports that Americans have been beaten in Afghanistan by Taliban members, appearing to contradict comments made by President <a href=\"https:\/\/www.theepochtimes.com\/t-joe-biden\">Joe Biden<\/a> earlier in the day.<\/p>\n<p>Earlier Friday, Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin told congressional lawmakers in a confidential call that U.S. citizens were assaulted in Kabul, <a href=\"https:\/\/www.politico.com\/news\/2021\/08\/20\/lloyd-austin-taliban-america-defeat-506475\">according<\/a> to <a href=\"https:\/\/www.foxnews.com\/politics\/defense-secretary-austin-contradicts-biden-americans-beaten-taliban-airport\">several news outlets<\/a> citing anonymous sources. The Epoch Times has not been able to verify the reports\u2019 authenticity and has reached out to the Pentagon for comment.<\/p>\n<p>When asked about the reports of beatings and Austin\u2019s comments, DOD press secretary John Kirby said, \u201cWe\u2019re certainly mindful of these reports and they\u2019re deeply troubling, and we have communicated to the Taliban that that\u2019s absolutely unacceptable, that we want free passage through their checkpoints for documented Americans.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Kirby, however, stressed that \u201cby and large,\u201d Americans are able to pass through Taliban checkpoints to the airport. The Taliban is <a href=\"https:\/\/www.dni.gov\/nctc\/groups\/afghan_taliban.html\">considered a terrorist organization<\/a> by the Office of the Director of National Intelligence, and the group is known to have harbored other terrorist groups, including al-Qaeda, in the past when it ruled Afghanistan from 1996 to 2001.<\/p>\n<figure id=\"attachment_3958221\" class=\"wp-caption alignnone\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"alignnone size-full\" src=\"https:\/\/img.theepochtimes.com\/assets\/uploads\/2021\/08\/20\/GettyImages-1335286117-a-1200x710.jpg\" width=\"1200\" height=\"710\" \/><figcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\"><noscript><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-medium wp-image-3958221\" src=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/08\/GettyImages-1335286117-a-600x355-1.jpg\" alt=\"Epoch Times Photo\" width=\"600\" height=\"355\" \/><\/noscript><\/figcaption>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p>President Joe Biden delivers remarks on the U.S. military\u2019s ongoing evacuation efforts in Afghanistan as he is joined by (L\u2013R) U.S. Secretary of Defense Lloyd Austin, U.S. Vice President Kamala Harris, Secretary of State Antony Blinken, and White House national security adviser Jake Sullivan from the East Room of the White House on Aug. 20, 2021 (Anna Moneymaker\/Getty Images)<\/figure>\n<p>During a briefing call, Austin allegedly told members of Congress:\u00a0\u201cWe\u2019re also aware that some people, including Americans, have been harassed and even beaten by the Taliban \u2026 This is unacceptable and [we] made it clear to the designated Taliban leader.\u201d Austin also said that most Americans and credentialed Afghans move through the checkpoints.<\/p>\n<p>The reports of beatings and Austin\u2019s remarks come in contrast to a statement made by Biden during a news conference when he said there is \u201cno indication\u201d that Americans have been unable to get to the Kabul airport, where thousands of U.S. military forces are stationed.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cTo the best of our knowledge, the Taliban checkpoints, they are letting through people showing American passports,\u201d Biden said Friday at the White House, adding that \u201cwe know of no circumstance where American citizens, carrying an American passport,\u201d were being blocked.<\/p>\n<p>The president also said that the United States has \u201cmade an agreement with the Taliban thus far.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Kirby also contradicted a statement made by Biden during his Friday press conference. While the president said there is no al-Qaeda presence in Afghanistan, Kirby told reporters that the terrorist network does indeed operate in Afghanistan.<\/p>\n<p>Facing mounting criticism over his administration\u2019s handling of the pullout, Biden stressed that any Americans who wish to leave will be able to do so.<\/p>\n<p>This week, CNN reporter Clarissa Ward, who is currently in Kabul, <a href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/joshrogin\/status\/1428786750663634944\">said that her crew<\/a> had difficulty getting to the airport on Friday, saying \u201cit\u2019s very difficult\u201d and \u201cdangerous.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Video footage uploaded online showed Taliban members blocking Afghans, <a href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/NickFondacaro\/status\/1428132150105227274\">ABC News crews<\/a>, and others from entering the airport. Some Taliban members were seen beating people, including children, amid the evacuation chaos.<\/p>\n<div class=\"one_author_block round\">\n<div class=\"top_row\">\n<p><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/img.theepochtimes.com\/assets\/uploads\/2019\/06\/13\/Jack-Phillips.jpg\" alt=\"Jack Phillips\" \/><\/p>\n<div class=\"names\">\n<p>Jack Phillips<\/p>\n<p>Senior Reporter<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<p>Jack Phillips is a reporter at The Epoch Times based in New York.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>A spokesman for the Department of Defense (DOD) said the Pentagon is aware of reports that Americans have been beaten in Afghanistan by Taliban members, appearing to contradict comments made &#8230;<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":7,"featured_media":2315279,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_mo_disable_npp":"","fifu_image_url":"","fifu_image_alt":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-666541","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/666541","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/7"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=666541"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/666541\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/2315279"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=666541"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=666541"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=666541"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}