You can watch Senator King’s questioning HERE, or download broadcast quality video HERE

WASHINGTON, D.C. – U.S. Senator Angus King (I-Maine) today urged a top Pentagon nominee to continuously assess opportunities for diplomatic cooperation in the Middle East in order to improve stability and confront terrorism. During a hearing of the Senate’s Armed Services Committee, King asked Lieutenant General Michael Kurilla – nominee to serve as Commander of United States Central Command – to evaluate ways the United States could coordinate with the Taliban to take on ISIS-K and options to provide humanitarian aid to the Afghanistan people without supporting the current regime. This questioning comes a few months after Senator King led a bipartisan group of Senators on a fact-finding mission to Pakistan and Qatar where they worked to find opportunities for strategic cooperation in the region.

“General, it's hard to utter the phrase cooperation and Taliban in the same sentence. But we have a common enemy in ISIS-K. The Taliban doesn't like them, we don't like them. They are a danger to us, they are a danger to them,” said Senator King. “Is there an opportunity for developing a kind of compartmented relationship with the Taliban with regard to ISIS-K? We have been able to use the [communications lines] through Pakistan for [intelligence], but there's been no kinetic strike yet, and there’s some question as to what effect that would have on the relationship to the Taliban and Pakistan. The question is, is there room for some relationship with the Taliban that could help us and help them with the problem of ISIS-K.”

“Senator, if confirmed, that's an area I would have to do a deep study on,” responded Lieutenant General Kurilla. “But I do think in my personal opinion there are pragmatic instances where we could come together going ISIS-K based on the threat to the homeland.”

“I would hope so. The old saying is that the enemy of my enemy is my friend. So there’s maybe an opportunity there to deal with the threat of ISIS-K, which is very significant and growing,” Senator King continued. “How do we assist with the humanitarian crisis in Afghanistan without assisting the Taliban? Are there avenues to provide support that we can avail ourselves of that don't shore up the Taliban regime? 

“Senator, I believe the most important thing we need to make sure of is that it is transparent and does not fall into the hands of the Taliban and is used as a weapon. The opportunity potentially exists with the UN Food Program. They are a very transparent organization to be able to provide funding for relief,” Lieutenant General Kurilla replied. “I also think working with Pakistan, they have a shared interest in that because of the refugees coming out of Afghanistan right now into Pakistan.”

As Chair of the Subcommittee on Strategic Forces, and a member of the Senate Armed Services Committee and the Senate Select Committee on Intelligence, Senator King is recognized as a thoughtful voice on national security and foreign policy issues in the Senate. In addition to his committee work, Senator King serves on the Congressional-Executive Commission on China, the Senate North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) Observer Group, and was the co-chair of the Cyberspace Solarium Commission. He recently worked to craft and pass the 2022 National Defense Authorization Act, that included significant provisions to bolster the United States’ national defense and support men and women in uniform.