美国国务院
发言人办公室
华盛顿哥伦比亚特区
2021年8月30日
国务卿布林肯：各位晚上好。
18天前，美国以及我们的盟友在喀布尔（Kabul）开始了我们的撤离和重新安置行动。正如你们刚刚从五角大楼（Pentagon）听到的，几个小时前，这一行动已经完成。
超过123000人已经安全地飞离阿富汗。其中包括大约6000名美国公民。这是一项极大规模的军事、外交和人道使命——是我国历史上最艰巨的行动之一——而且是在某些难以想见的最具挑战性的条件下进行的后勤与协调的非凡壮举。
很多、很多人的努力使之成为可能。
我要表彰我们杰出的外交人员，他们夜以继日地在全世界各地工作，协调这次行动。他们志愿在喀布尔机场值班。他们飞往中转国帮助数千名前往美国的阿富汗人办理手续。他们在入境口岸和美国军事基地欢迎阿富汗人来到他们的新家。他们在华盛顿这里一周7天、一天24小时地从事任务组的工作，由副国务卿布莱恩·麦肯恩（Brian McKeon）负责。他们列出了一份可能寻求离开阿富汗的美国人的名单，然后努力联系其中每一个人，据报告——自8月14日以来打了55000通电话，发了33000封电子邮件。他们解决了一个又一个问题，不断推进这项使命。
他们这样做是因为——对于在过去20年中曾派驻阿富汗的数千名国务院（State Department）和美国国际发展署（USAID）人员而言——这次撤离行动与个人密切相关。很多人多年来与阿富汗合作伙伴携手工作，而且许多人已成为可以信赖的朋友。我们还失去了我们在阿富汗的外交群体的宝贵成员；我们永远都不会忘记他们。在这个关键时刻帮助美国人、20年来一直在我们身边的外国合作伙伴以及有风险的阿富汗人，不仅仅是我们的团队接受的一项事关重大的任务；它还是一项神圣的职责。而且全世界都目睹了我们的外交人员以决心和爱心奋起迎接挑战。
驻喀布尔的美国军人英勇地保障机场安全、保护许多不同国籍的平民——包括数万名阿富汗人在内——并将他们空运撤离。他们目前还在提供至关重要的支持，在欧洲、中东和美国这里的军事基地照护阿富汗人。
我们看到了美国军人在喀布尔机场怀抱婴孩、安慰民众的画面。这正是我们的男女军人所展示的那种富有同情心的勇气的典范。他们在持续不断的恐怖主义暴力的威胁下执行了这项使命——而且4天前，11名海军陆战队员、1名海军卫生员和一名士兵以及许多阿富汗人在机场大门被一名自杀式爆炸手杀害。
他们几乎都才20来岁——在2001年9月11日时都还是婴幼儿。
他们遇害身亡是我国极其重大的损失。我们在国务院感受深切。我们同海军陆战队有着特殊的纽带。你去到一座美国大使馆时首先看到的就是一位海军陆战队员。他们守卫我们的外交使团；他们在全世界保障我们的安全。没有他们我们就无法从事我们的工作。而且我们永远都不会忘记他们做出的牺牲——我们也不会忘记他们所取得的成就。我们中间最杰出的人在地球上的短暂时间里付出了毕生的服务奉献。以此敬献上周遇难的我们杰出的兄弟姐妹。
最后，我要感谢我们的盟友和伙伴。这场行动在每个方面都是一次全球性努力。很多国家加紧努力为空运做出了大力贡献，包括在机场同我们并肩行动。一些国家现在作为中转国，允许被撤离人员在前往最后目的地的途中进行登记并办理手续。其他一些国家已同意永久性重新安置阿富汗难民，而且我们希望在今后几天和几周还将有更多国家这样做。我们由衷地感谢他们的支持。
现在，美国的军事战斗已经结束，而且我们的军队已离开阿富汗。美国同阿富汗接触的一个新篇章已经开启。这是一个我们将以我们的外交引领的篇章。军事使命结束了。新的外交使命已经开始。
因此，以下是我们今后几天和几周的计划。
首先，我们已经组建了一个新团队来帮助引领这项新使命。
从今天起，我们已经停止了我们在喀布尔的外交运作，并将我们的有关工作转至卡塔尔多哈（Doha），并将很快正式通报国会。鉴于阿富汗不确定的安全环境和政治局势，这是慎重采取的一个步骤。请让我借此机会对我国驻喀布尔临时代办、杰出的罗斯·威尔逊（Ross Wilson）大使表示感谢，他在一个极具挑战性的时候完成了卓越的、勇敢的工作。
我们将暂时利用在多哈的这个使团驻地来管理我们同阿富汗的外交，其中包括领事事务、管理人道援助，以及与盟国、合作伙伴还有地区和国际利益相关者共同努力协调我们对塔利班（Taliban）的交涉和信息传达。我们在那里的团队将由伊恩·麦卡里（Ian McCary）领导，他在过去一年中担任我们驻阿富汗使团的第二把手。没有人更有准备胜任这项工作了。
第二，我们将继续不遗余力地帮助选择离开阿富汗的美国人、外国国民和阿富汗人离开那里。
请让我简要地谈一下还留在阿富汗的美国人。
我们做出了巨大努力，让美国人获得离开该国的每一个机会——在很多情况下保持通话，而且在一些情况下护送他们走进机场。
在那些自己表明是在阿富汗的美国人并且当时考虑离开该国的人中，我们迄今为止已收到大约6000人已被撤离或以其他方式离开的确认。随着我们的联络工作继续进行以及人们陆续抵达，这个人数可能将继续增加。
我们认为还有一小批美国人——在200人以下而且可能更接近100人——仍在阿富汗而且希望离开。我们正在努力确定到底有多少人。我们正在查看旅客名单并依照我们的名单打电话并发短信，而且将尽可能快地提供更详尽的情况。确定一个精确数字的挑战之一是有些持美国护照的长期居住在阿富汗的人，他们还在决定是否想要离开。其中很多人是双重国籍的美国人，在阿富汗有很深的根基和很多家人，并且在那里生活了很多年。对许多人而言，这是一个痛苦的选择。
我们对他们以及所有在阿富汗的美国人乃至在全世界各地的美国人的承诺将会持续。在海外的美国人的安全和福祉继续是国务院最至关重要、最持久的使命。如果一名在阿富汗的美国人告诉我们想暂时留下来，但在一个星期或一个月或一年之后找到我们说“我改变想法了”，我们将会帮助他们离开。
此外，我们一直在极其努力地撤离并重新安置与我们并肩工作的阿富汗人，他们尤其面临着遭受报复的风险。我们撤出了很多人，但还有很多人仍在那里。我们将继续努力帮助他们。我们对他们的承诺没有最后期限。
第三，我们要使塔利班兑现其保证，允许人们自由离开阿富汗。
塔利班承诺，会让任何有正当文件的人安全和有秩序地离开阿富汗。他们已私下和公开多次这样说。星期五，塔利班一名高级官员再次在电视和广播中这样说，我援引他的话：“任何阿富汗人，如果他们想也不管可能是什么原因，都可以离开，包括那些为美国人工作的人”。
世界上半数以上的国家都和我们一道，要求塔利班允许人们自由前往阿富汗国外。截至今天，已经有100多个国家表示，他们期待塔利班尊重我们这些国家颁发的旅行文件。就在几个小时以前，联合国安理会通过一项决议，确定了这项责任——如果塔利班食言，将可据此追究其责任。
因此，国际社会在这点上齐声发出了强大声音，并且会保持强大。我们将要求塔利班兑现承诺，让外国国民、签证持有者和面临危险的阿富汗人有行动自由。
第四，我们将努力确保这些人有安全通道。
今天早上，我会晤了七国集团（G7）所有国家的外长——英国、法国、德国、加拿大、意大利、日本，另外还有卡塔尔、土耳其、欧洲联盟，以及北约秘书长。我们讨论了如何共同合作，帮助离开阿富汗的旅行安全，包括尽快重新开放喀布尔的民用机场——我们尤其感谢卡塔尔和土耳其为实现这点而作出的努力。
这将使每天能飞少量包机，这对今后任何想离开阿富汗的人是一个关键。
我们还在努力确定一些陆路途径，为可能愿意通过这种方式离开的美国人、合法永久居民以及曾与我们一起工作的阿富汗人提供支持。
我们对能轻易或迅速地做到这些不抱幻想。这将是与刚结束的撤离行动完全不一样的阶段。克服一系列新的挑战需要时间。但是我们将持续努力。
约翰·巴斯（John Bass）——我们的前驻阿富汗大使，他在两星期前回到喀布尔，帮助领导我们机场撤离行动——将率领当下国务院各方面正在进行的工作，为美国公民和永久居民、盟国公民、特殊移民签证申请人，以及面临高风险的阿富汗人提供帮助，如果他们任何人想离开阿富汗的话。我们深深感谢约翰在喀布尔所做的一切，以及他对这项使命的继续奉献，也深深感谢在他身边工作的那些非凡的领事官员。
第五，我们将继续集中精力打击恐怖主义。
塔利班承诺，将防止恐怖主义团体以阿富汗作基地在海外开展可能威胁美国或我们盟国的行动，这些团体包括“基地”（al-Qaida）组织和塔利班的死对头“伊斯兰国呼罗珊省”（ISIS-K）组织。在这点上，我们同样要求他们对其承诺负责。虽然我们对塔利班有这些期待，但这不意味我们将依靠塔利班。我们自己将继续警惕地监视威胁。我们将在该地区保持强有力的反恐能力，有必要时，消除那些威胁，就像我们前几天所显示的那样，对在阿富汗的ISIS帮凶和紧迫威胁实行打击——也像我们在世界各地我们没有地面部队时那样。
让我直接来谈我们与塔利班在这些以及其他一些问题上的交涉。我们在过去几周里与塔利班交涉，以便进行我们的撤离行动。今后，与塔利班为首的喀布尔政府进行的任何交涉都将只出于一个动机：我们至关重要的国家利益。
如果我们能够与一个阿富汗新政府以一种有助于保障那些利益的方式合作——包括使从去年年初一直被扣押在该地区的美国公民马克·弗雷里希斯（Mark Frerichs）安全返回，并且以一种给阿富汗和该地区带来更大稳定和保护过去20年成果的方式合作，那么我们将合作。但是，我们将不会是基于信任或信念的基础去这样做。我们采取的每一步骤都将不是根据塔利班为首的政府怎样说，而是它为兑现承诺怎样做。
塔利班寻求国际合法地位和支持。我们的信息是：任何合法性和任何支持都必须靠赢得。
塔利班可以通过兑现承诺和履行义务来这样做——通过让旅行自由；尊重包括妇女和少数民族在内的阿富汗人民的基本权利；恪守反恐承诺；对选择留在阿富汗的人不施以报复性暴力；并组建包容性的政府，使之满足和体现阿富汗人民的需要和愿望。
第六，我们将继续向阿富汗人民提供人道援助。
冲突使阿富汗人民遭受惨重伤害。国内数百万人流离失所。数百万人在挨饿，甚至面临饥荒。COVID-19疫情在阿富汗也非常严重。美国将继续支持对阿富汗人民的人道援助。基于我们对塔利班实行制裁，这些援助将不经由政府，而是通过独立的机构组织，如联合国机构和非政府组织。我们期待这些努力将不受到塔利班或其他任何方面的阻碍。
第七，我们将就所有这些问题以及其他许多问题继续开展广泛的国际外交努力。
我们相信，通过与盟国和伙伴协同努力，我们能够取得更大得多的成就和产生更大得多的影响。过去两星期来，我们与盟国和合作伙伴进行了一系列密集的外交接触，安排和协调在阿富汗前进的方式。我会晤了北约和七国集团的外长。我们与数十个国家的同事进行了一对一交谈。上周，拜登总统会晤了七国集团领导人。副国务卿温迪·谢尔曼（Wendy Sherman）召集全球各地28个盟国和伙伴隔天举行一次共同会议。
接下来，我们将与该地区和世界各地的国家——以及主要的国际组织、非政府组织和私人行业——密切协调。我们的盟国和合作伙伴与我们有着共同的目标，致力于与我们一道努力。
在接下来的一些天里，我会更多地谈这些事务。我今天想说明的主要一点是，美国在阿富汗的工作在继续。我们有下一步计划。我们正在付诸行动。
这也是一个必须作出反思的时刻。阿富汗战争进行了20年。我们必须汲取教训，并且让它们对我们在国家安全和外交政策的根本问题上如何思考产生影响。我们有责任为了未来的外交官、决策者、军事领导人和武装部队成员而这样做。我们有责任为了美国人而这样做。
但是，与此同时，我们将继续不遗余力地关注今天和未来。我们将确保寻找一切机会，兑现我们对阿富汗人民的承诺，包括将数以千计的阿富汗人迎进我们的社区，就像美国人民在我国历史上过去多次表现出的慷概与友善一样。
我们以这种方式，向为了这个长期使命，直至今天，奋不顾身甚至献出生命的美国和许多其他国家的男女勇士致敬。
谢谢倾听。
欲查看原稿内容:  https://www.state.gov/secretary-of-antony-j-blinken-remarks-on-afghanistan/

08/30/2021 08:57 PM EDT
Office of the Spokesperson
Washington, D.C.
Treaty Room
SECRETARY BLINKEN:  Good evening, everyone.
Eighteen days ago, the United States and our allies began our evacuation and relocation operation in Kabul.  As you just heard from the Pentagon, a few hours ago, that operation was completed.
More than 123,000 people have been safely flown out of Afghanistan.  That includes about 6,000 American citizens.  This has been a massive military, diplomatic, and humanitarian undertaking – one of the most difficult in our nation’s history – and an extraordinary feat of logistics and coordination under some of the most challenging circumstances imaginable.
Many, many people made this possible.
I want to commend our outstanding diplomats who worked around the clock, and around the world, to coordinate the operation.  They volunteered for duty at the Kabul airport.  They flew to transit countries to help process thousands of Afghans bound for the United States.  They deployed to ports of entry and American military bases to welcome Afghans to their new homes.  They staffed a 24/7 task force here in Washington, overseen by Deputy Secretary Brian McKeon.  And they built a list of Americans possibly seeking to leave Afghanistan, then worked to contact every single one of them, repeatedly – making 55,000 phone calls, sending 33,000 e-mails since August 14th.  They solved problem after problem to keep the mission moving forward.
They did this because – for the thousands of State Department and USAID employees who have served in Afghanistan in the past 20 years – this evacuation operation was very personal.  Many worked hand in hand for years with Afghan partners, many of whom became trusted friends.  We also lost cherished members of our Foreign Service community in Afghanistan; we’ll never forget them.  Helping Americans, our foreign partners who have been by our side for 20 years, and Afghans at risk at this critical moment, was more than just a high-stakes assignment for our team.  It was a sacred duty.  And the world saw how our diplomats rose to the challenge with determination and heart.
U.S. service members in Kabul did heroic work securing the airport, protecting civilians of many nationalities – including tens of thousands of Afghans – and airlifting them out.  They’re also providing vital support right now, caring for Afghans on military bases in Europe, the Middle East, and here in the United States.
We’ve seen pictures of U.S. service members at the Kabul airport cradling babies, comforting families.  That’s the kind of compassionate courage our men and women in uniform exemplify.  They carried out this mission under the constant threat of terrorist violence – and four days ago, 11 Marines, one Navy medic, and one soldier were killed by a suicide bomber at the airport gate, as well as scores of Afghans.
Nearly all of them were in their early 20s – just babies or toddlers on September 11th, 2001.
These deaths are a devastating loss for our country.  We at the State Department feel them deeply.  We have a special bond with the Marines.  The first person that you see when you visit an American embassy is a Marine.  They guard our diplomatic missions; they keep us safe around the world.  We couldn’t do our jobs without them.  And we will never forget their sacrifice – nor will we forget what they achieved.  The most exceptional among us perform a lifetime’s work of service in a short time here on Earth.  So. it was for our exceptional brothers and sisters who died last week.
Finally, I want to thank our allies and partners.  This operation was a global endeavor in every way.  Many countries stepped up with robust contributions to the airlift, including working by our side at the airport.  Some are now serving as transit countries, allowing evacuees to be registered and processed on the way to their final destinations.  Others have agreed to resettle Afghan refugees permanently, and we hope more will do so in the days and weeks ahead.  We are truly grateful for their support.
Now, U.S. military flights have ended, and our troops have departed Afghanistan.  A new chapter of America’s engagement with Afghanistan has begun.  It’s one in which we will lead with our diplomacy.  The military mission is over.  A new diplomatic mission has begun.
So here is our plan for the days and weeks ahead.
First, we’ve built a new team to help lead this new mission.
As of today, we have suspended our diplomatic presence in Kabul, and transferred our operations to Doha, Qatar, which will soon be formally notified to Congress.  Given the uncertain security environment and political situation in Afghanistan, it was the prudent step to take.  And let me take this opportunity to thank our outstanding charge d’affaires in Kabul, Ambassador Ross Wilson, who came out of retirement in January 2020 to lead our embassy in Afghanistan, and has done exceptional, courageous work during a highly challenging time.
For the time being, we will use this post in Doha to manage our diplomacy with Afghanistan, including consular affairs, administering humanitarian assistance, and working with allies, partners, and regional and international stakeholders to coordinate our engagement and messaging to the Taliban.  Our team there will be led by Ian McCary, who has served as our deputy chief of mission in Afghanistan for this past year.  No one’s better prepared to do the job.
Second, we will continue our relentless efforts to help Americans, foreign nationals, and Afghans leave Afghanistan if they choose.
Let me talk briefly about the Americans who remain in Afghanistan.
We made extraordinary efforts to give Americans every opportunity to depart the country – in many cases talking, and sometimes walking them into the airport.
Of those who self-identified as Americans in Afghanistan, who were considering leaving the country, we’ve thus far received confirmation that about 6,000 have been evacuated or otherwise departed.  This number will likely continue to grow as our outreach and arrivals continue.
We believe there are still a small number of Americans – under 200 and likely closer to 100 – who remain in Afghanistan and want to leave.  We’re trying to determine exactly how many.  We’re going through manifests and calling and texting through our lists, and we’ll have more details to share, as soon as possible.  Part of the challenge with fixing a precise number is that there are long-time residents of Afghanistan who have American passports, and who were trying to determine whether or not they wanted to leave.  Many are dual-citizen Americans with deep roots and extended families in Afghanistan, who have resided there for many years.  For many, it’s a painful choice.
Our commitment to them and to all Americans in Afghanistan – and everywhere in the world – continues.  The protection and welfare of Americans abroad remains the State Department’s most vital and enduring mission.  If an American in Afghanistan tells us that they want to stay for now, and then in a week or a month or a year they reach out and say, “I’ve changed my mind,” we will help them leave.
Additionally, we’ve worked intensely to evacuate and relocate Afghans who worked alongside us, and are at particular risk of reprisal.  We’ve gotten many out, but many are still there.  We will keep working to help them.  Our commitment to them has no deadline.
Third, we will hold the Taliban to its pledge to let people freely depart Afghanistan.
The Taliban has committed to let anyone with proper documents leave the country in a safe and orderly manner.  They’ve said this privately and publicly many times.  On Friday, a senior Taliban official said it again on television and radio, and I quote: “Any Afghans may leave the country, including those who work for Americans, if they want and for whatever reason there may be,” end quote.
More than half the world’s countries have joined us in insisting that the Taliban let people travel outside Afghanistan freely.  As of today, more than 100 countries have said that they expect the Taliban to honor travel authorizations by our countries.  And just a few hours ago, the United Nations Security Council passed a resolution that enshrines that responsibility – laying the groundwork to hold the Taliban accountable if they renege.
So, the international chorus on this is strong, and it will stay strong.  We will hold the Taliban to their commitment on freedom of movement for foreign nationals, visa holders, at-risk Afghans.
Fourth, we will work to secure their safe passage.
This morning, I met with the foreign ministers of all the G7 countries – United Kingdom, France, Germany, Canada, Italy, Japan – as well as Qatar, Turkey, the European Union, and the secretary general of NATO.  We discussed how we will work together to facilitate safe travel out of Afghanistan, including by reopening Kabul’s civilian airport as soon as possible – and we very much appreciate the efforts of Qatar and Turkey, in particular, to make this happen.
This would enable a small number of daily charter flights, which is a key for anyone who wants to depart from Afghanistan moving forward.
We are also working to identify ways to support Americans, legal permanent residents, and Afghans who have worked with us and who may choose to depart via overland routes.
We have no illusion that any of this will be easy or rapid.  This will be an entirely different phase from the evacuation that just concluded.  It will take time to work through a new set of challenges.  But we will stay at it.
John Bass – our former ambassador to Afghanistan who returned to Kabul two weeks ago to help lead our evacuation efforts at the airport – will spearhead our ongoing work across the State Department to help American citizens and permanent residents, citizens of allied nations, Special Immigrant Visa applicants, and Afghans at high risk, if any of those people wish to depart Afghanistan.  We’re deeply grateful for all that John did in Kabul, and for his continued commitment to this mission, as well as the extraordinary consular officers who were serving by his side.
Fifth, we will stay focused on counterterrorism.
The Taliban has made a commitment to prevent terrorist groups from using Afghanistan as a base for external operations that could threaten the United States or our allies, including al-Qaida and the Taliban’s sworn enemy, ISIS-K.  Here too, we will hold them accountable to that commitment.  But while we have expectations of the Taliban, that doesn’t mean we will rely on the Taliban.  We’ll remain vigilant in monitoring threats ourselves.  And we’ll maintain robust counterterrorism capabilities in the region to neutralize those threats, if necessary, as we demonstrated in the past few days by striking ISIS facilitators and imminent threats in Afghanistan – and as we do in places around the world where we do not have military forces on the ground.
Let me speak directly to our engagement with the Taliban across these and other issues.  We engaged with the Taliban during the past few weeks to enable our evacuation operations.  Going forward, any engagement with a Taliban-led government in Kabul will be driven by one thing only: our vital national interests.
If we can work with a new Afghan government in a way that helps secure those interests – including the safe return of Mark Frerichs, a U.S. citizen who has been held hostage in the region since early last year – and in a way that brings greater stability to the country and region and protects the gains of the past two decades, we will do it.  But we will not do it on the basis of trust or faith.  Every step we take will be based not on what a Taliban-led government says, but what it does to live up to its commitments.
The Taliban seeks international legitimacy and support.  Our message is: any legitimacy and any support will have to be earned.
The Taliban can do that by meeting commitments and obligations – on freedom of travel; respecting the basic rights of the Afghan people, including women and minorities; upholding its commitments on counterterrorism; not carrying out reprisal violence against those who choose to stay in Afghanistan; and forming an inclusive government that can meet the needs and reflect the aspirations of the Afghan people.
Sixth, we will continue our humanitarian assistance to the people of Afghanistan.
The conflict has taken a terrible toll on the Afghan people.  Millions are internally displaced.  Millions are facing hunger, even starvation.  The COVID-19 pandemic has also hit Afghanistan hard.  The United States will continue to support humanitarian aid to the Afghan people.  Consistent with our sanctions on the Taliban, the aid will not flow through the government, but rather through independent organizations, such as UN agencies and NGOs.  And we expect that those efforts will not be impeded by the Taliban or anyone else.
And seventh, we will continue our broad international diplomacy across all these issues and many others.
We believe we can accomplish far more – and exert far greater leverage – when we work in coordination with our allies and partners.  Over the last two weeks, we’ve had a series of intensive diplomatic engagements with allies and partners to plan and coordinate the way ahead in Afghanistan.  I’ve met with the foreign ministers of NATO and the G7.  I’ve spoken one-on-one with dozens of my counterparts.  Last week, President Biden met with the leaders of the G7 countries.  And Deputy Secretary of State Wendy Sherman has been convening a group of 28 allies and partners from all regions of the world every other day.
Going forward, we’ll coordinate closely with countries in the region and around the world – as well as with leading international organizations, NGOs, and the private sector.  Our allies and partners share our objectives and are committed to working with us.
I’ll have more to say on these matters in the coming days.  The main point I want to drive home here today is that America’s work in Afghanistan continues.  We have a plan for what’s next.  We’re putting it into action.
This moment also demands reflection.  The war in Afghanistan was a 20-year endeavor.  We must learn its lessons, and allow those lessons to shape how we think about fundamental questions of national security and foreign policy.  We owe that to future diplomats, policymakers, military leaders, service members.  We owe that to the American people.
But as we do, we will remain relentlessly focused on today and on the future.  We’ll make sure we’re finding every opportunity to make good on our commitment to the Afghan people, including by welcoming thousands of them into our communities, as the American people have done many times before with generosity and grace throughout our history.
In this way, we’ll honor all those brave men and women, from the United States and many other countries, who risked or sacrificed their lives as part of this long mission, right up to today.
Thanks for listening.