Afghanistan may no longer be a priority for the United States, but the actions that President Donald Trump has taken in the first few days of the White House suggested that the Taliban government would be under the US scanner.

The Trump administration has adopted a tough policy against the Taliban government as it had made two major decisions that have directly affected the country.

Within minutes of giving oath as the 47 of the United States, President, Trump issued a number of executive orders. These orders also included a decree that immediately stopped the US’s foreign assistance and Afghanistan’s refugee plan.

US Secretary of State Marco Rubio conveyed to all US missions through a diplomatic cable to suspend all foreign assistance until the audit to determine whether funding was in accordance with Trump’s foreign policy agenda and US interests.

The Trump camp has long questioned the taxpayer of taxpayers to countries that once work contrary to US interests. Afghanistan was the largest recipient of aid as the United States pumped at least $ 3 billion to the Taliban-controlled Afghanistan since August 2021 under humanitarian assistance.

American assistance played a crucial role in keeping Afghanistan’s economy fluid. But since the latest Trump feature, Afghanistan’s currency Afghani has lost value compared to the US dollar, which has triggered inflation.

President Trump warned the Taliban to return US weapons before any help goes through. The second trait, which may not have a direct impact on the Taliban government, but thousands of Afghans who worked for the US military and their contractors during their campaign in Afghanistan.

They were promised resettlement in the United States as part of the Biden administration policy. However, that plan was also put on hold. At least 40,000 Afghans were affected by the move. About 25,000 are currently in Pakistan waiting for over three years to go to the United States.

Meanwhile, in another sign of Foreign Minister Marco Rubio, Foreign Minister Marco Rubio said on a hard line to Afghan rulers on Saturday that the United States can hand out a “very large bounty” to the Taliban’s top leaders, adding that he heard that the Taliban had more US hostages than previously reported .

“Just hearing that the Taliban holds more American hostages than has been reported,” Rubio said in a post on the social media platform X. “If this is true, we will immediately have to place a very large bounty for their Top leaders, maybe even bigger than the one we had on bin Laden, ”he added.

The post did not provide further details or specified the number of Americans held by the Taliban. Kabul authorities said this past week that the United States liberated an Afghan convicted by a US court on the prosecutor of drug smuggling and extremism in exchange for two US citizens detained in Afghanistan.

Afghan officials said Tuesday that the man, Khan Mohammad, had landed in Kabul after being released. A spokesman for the Taliban administration confirmed that two Americans were released in the exchange.

Trump’s announcement to pause admissions for at least 90 days from January 27 has blocked about 10,000 Afghans approved for entry from starting new life in the United States, according to the non-profit organization #afghanevac.

Trump undertook to withdraw from Afghanistan in his first period, but the process was monitored by his successor President Joe Biden. A special visa program for Afghans employed by or on behalf of the United States remains active.

The Taliban government has announced an amnesty and urged those who fled to return to rebuild the country. However, Moniza Kakar, a lawyer working with Afghan refugees in Pakistan, said some women told her they “prefer suicide than to go back to Afghanistan.”

Earlier in 2022, a report from the US Department of Defense revealed that military equipment worth $ 7 billion was left after the military’s withdrawal. These included aircraft, air-to-earth ammunition, weapons communication equipment and other materials that were later seized by the Taliban.

Trump had said at a meeting on the threshold of his edition that the United States would have its military equipment back from the Taliban. “If we have to pay billions of dollars a year, tell them we won’t give them the money unless they give back our military equipment,” he said.

(With input from AFP)