Since the first day of the Biden administration's disastrous pullout from Afghanistan, President Joe Biden's band of experts have exhorted the American people — and the Afghan allies left we behind — to trust the new leaders of Afghanistan, the Taliban.
Few people outside the administration seemed to buy what the president's Cabinet was selling.
Except, apparently, the Associated Press.
In a piece published Wednesday morning, the news agency reported that the Taliban had announced that it would not be providing any education opportunities for girls beyond the sixth grade.
The initial report (which was subsequently edited without bothering to alert readers that any edits had been made), headlined "Taliban nixes girls higher education despite earlier pledges," called the declaration by the terror group that now controls Afghanistan a "surprise decision" from "the hardline leadership of Afghanistan’s new rulers."
This means that nothing has really changed for girls in country since the Taliban took power in mid-August on the heels of the United States' abrupt and much-maligned exit from the South Asian nation — which falls in line with what most serious analysts expected from the Taliban.
However, the AP went on to repeatedly note how "unexpected" the move was.
"The unexpected decision came late on Tuesday as Afghanistan’s education ministry prepared for the new year opening of school, which was expected to herald the return of girls to school," the AP said in its original report.
"Afghanistan’s Taliban rulers unexpectedly decided against reopening schools Wednesday to girls above the sixth grade," the outlet said in the lede of its edited version of the story.
Like the AP, which called the moved "so sudden," people inside the Biden administration were also caught off guard.
U.S. Special Representative for Afghanistan Thomas West tweeted his "shock and deep disappointment" over the terror group's declaration and ripped the Taliban for betraying its "public commitments" and previous statements that "ALL" off its people have a right to an education.
"I join millions of Afghan families today in expressing shock and deep disappointment with the Taliban’s decision to not allow women and girls to return to school above grade 6," West said.
"Education is a fundamental right of all human beings and is essential to Afghanistan’s economic growth and stability," he continued. "This is a betrayal of public commitments to the Afghan people and the international community."
"The Taliban have made clear that ALL Afghan citizens have a right to education. For the sake of the country’s future and its relations with the international community, I would urge the Taliban to live up to their commitments to their people," West added.
1/3 I join millions of Afghan families today in expressing shock and deep disappointment with the Taliban\u2019s decision to not allow women and girls to return to school above grade 6.— U.S. Special Representative Thomas West (@U.S. Special Representative Thomas West) 1648044815
3/3 The Taliban have made clear that ALL Afghan citizens have a right to education. For the sake of the country\u2019s future and its relations with the international community, I would urge the Taliban to live up to their commitments to their people.— U.S. Special Representative Thomas West (@U.S. Special Representative Thomas West) 1648044816
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