The U.S. and the U.N. Security Council are pushing for a peaceful "political settlement" in the future of the Afghanistan government, and women must be included in the process.
"The members of the Security Council called for an immediate cessation of all hostilities and the establishment, through inclusive negotiations, of a new government that is united, inclusive and representative — including with the full, equal, and meaningful participation of women," the statement Monday read.
The U.S. and the world are "watching" the "actions" over the "words" of the Taliban with respect to fundamental human rights and the inclusion of women, State Department spokesman Ned Price told reporters Monday at a briefing.
"The fact is that a future Afghan government that upholds the basic rights of its people, that doesn't harbor terrorists, that protects the basic rights of its people, including the basic fundamental rights of half of its population – it's women and girls – that is a government we would be able to work with," Price said.
"The actions will have to match the words that we have seen emanating from the Taliban," Price added later.
Price also responded to questions about the deaths of Afghanistan men clinging to U.S. military flights before falling off the plane as it took off.
"They are searing, they are painful, they are difficult to see, they are difficult to watch," Price said. "We share a common humanity with these Afghans whose desperation, whose fear, whose concern . . . they wear it on their faces."
The future of Afghanistan remains under talks between officials of the Afghanistan government and the Taliban, but Price mentioned both the "carrot" and the "stick" of U.S. support that hinges on the responsible leadership from the Taliban.
"It is patently obvious the government of Afghanistan would not have endured 20 years were it not for the broad and generous support of the international community and the United States," Price said, stressing "there has not been a formal transfer of power."
The Taliban has taken the presidential palace in Kabul, forcing President Ashraf Ghani to flee the country.
"The situation will continue to remain fluid in the coming hours and likely the coming days," Price added. "Nevertheless we are operating on all fronts and around the clock to protect our people, those who have worked side by side with the United States for years, and other vulnerable Afghans."