‘Silly question’: Biden bristles at question about Taliban

WASHINGTON: President Biden on Thursday fired back at a reporter who asked whether he trusts the Taliban, foreign media reported on Thursday.

While the US is pulling out in accordance with a deal it struck with the Taliban last year, Biden insisted his plan was not based on a belief the Taliban will live up to its end of the bargain. “No, I do not trust the Taliban,” the president. “It’s a silly question.”

But Biden, who huddled with military advisers over the situation in Afghanistan Thursday before his public remarks, said he trusts “the capacity of the Afghan military” to keep key areas of the country from falling to Taliban fighters, who have made major gains in recent weeks as the US and NATO withdraw.

The US president also bristled at questions about who bears responsibility for civilian deaths and other carnage at the hands of the Taliban moving forward. He said the blame will not lie with the US.