In comments that raised eyebrows, Ned Price announced that the door was open to the Islamists.
The Taliban enforced draconian constraints on women when they ruled the nation from 1996-2001, forcing them to be completely veiled and severely limiting their movements.
In July, as the Taliban captured Kandahar, nine women working at Azizi Bank were directed to leave and send male relatives to do their jobs instead, Al Jazeera reported.
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Yet Price on Monday announced the US wanted to see the conditions of a United Nations declaration met, which demanded women be permitted in government.
The UN is calling 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.'
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Price explained that the US government would recognize a possible new government of Afghanistan so long as that government was inclusive.
'The fact is that a future Afghan government that upholds the basic rights of its people, that doesn't harbor terrorists, and that protects the basic rights of its people, including the basic fundamental rights of half of its population, its women and girls, that is a government that we would be able to work with,' he announced.
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He did not say how the Taliban could convince the US government that it has reformed itself in this way, or why he believed the Taliban would change their ideology.
'Ultimately when it comes to our posture towards any future government in Afghanistan, it will depend upon the actions of that government. It will depend upon the actions of the Taliban,' he stated.
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'A future Afghan government that upholds the basic rights of its people, that doesn't harbor terrorists and that protects the basic rights of its people including the basic fundamental rights of half of its population - its women and girls - that is a government we would be able to work with.'
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Price announced that the U.S. had fulfilled the objective of the 2001 invasion - to 'decimate the network that conceived of and launched' the September 11, 2001 attacks.
He explained that US forces would still have 'over the horizon' abilities to fight terrorism after the War in Afghanistan ends, meaning air support.
Price explained that it was clear 'the government of Afghanistan would not have endured 20 years were it not for the broad and generous support of the United States and the world.'
While the Taliban has taken the presidential palace in Kabul, forcing President Ashraf Ghani to flee the nation, Price maintained that 'there has not been a formal transfer of power.'
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