Nikki Haley, the former U.S. ambassador to the United Nations, criticized President Joe Biden in an interview with Fox News on Thursday for not demanding that the UN General Assembly “not recognize the Taliban” following the group’s takeover of Afghanistan.
“This week, Joe Biden was bold enough to go to the UN to lecture the world on human rights,” Haley said. “Yet, he can’t find the courage to call on its members to not recognize the Taliban.”
“These terrorists hunt down our allies, place young girls in forced marriages, and kill innocent Afghans in the streets,” she continued. “America looks weak and pathetic.”
Haley went on to call the Taliban “a terrorist group” that is “holding a country hostage, not the legitimate government of Afghanistan.”
The Taliban previously requested credentials from the UN to speak at a high-level meeting with world leaders of the General Assembly next week.
Senior U.S. State Department officials said they were aware of the Taliban’s request — the United States is a member of the U.N. credentials committee — but they would not predict how that panel might rule. However, one of the officials said the committee “would take some time to deliberate,” suggesting the Taliban’s envoy would not be able to speak at the General Assembly at this session at least during the high-level leaders’ week.
White House press secretary Jen Psaki earlier this month said “there’s no rush to recognition,” of the Taliban, “and that will be planned dependent on what steps the Taliban takes. The world will be watching whether they allow for American citizens, whether they allow individuals to leave who want to, and how they treat women and girls around the country.”
Haley previously criticized Biden’s speech after the Afghanistan withdrawal as having “ignored the reality and seriousness of America’s threats and enemies,” specifically naming “China, Russia, Iran, North Korea, Venezuela, Afghanistan, and terrorism,” among those threats and enemies.
Biden said during his speech that when it comes to global terror threats, “make no mistake, the United States will continue to defend ourselves and allies,” but noted that “the mission must be clear and achievable,” and said, “United States military power must be our tool of last resort, not our first. It should not be used as an answer to every problem we see around the world.”
Information from the Associated Press was used in this report.
