Washington: After the arrival of the Taliban in Afghanistan, there has been uproar all around. People want to leave the country. Many foreign nationals are also stranded. Meanwhile, US President Joe Biden said that American troops will remain in Afghanistan even after August 31. Biden said on Wednesday that he is committed to keeping American troops in Afghanistan until every American is evacuated, even after his August 31 deadline for withdrawal. Also, maintain a military presence there.
In one of his interviews with ABC News, US President Joe Biden said that America is doing its best to evacuate Americans and American allies from Afghanistan before the deadline. He said we would do “everything in our power”.
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The initial effort from the US to the people trapped in Afghanistan is to get people out of Kabul by August 31. At the same time, on the question of how the administration will help the Americans to leave the country after August 31, Biden said, “Our priority is to get the American and allied citizens out safely. “
4 thousand American soldiers are currently stationed at Kabul Airport
Biden says that there are currently 4 thousand American soldiers at Kabul Airport, soon this number will reach 6 thousand. Efforts are being made to evacuate 5 to 9 thousand people from Kabul airport in a day. According to the information received last week, 15,000 Americans lived in the nation till the Taliban rule in Afghanistan.
325 US citizens evacuated in the last 24 hours
Kirby said nearly 2,000 people, including 325 American citizens, were evacuated from Kabul International Airport in 18 flights by US Air Force C-17 transport planes in the past 24 hours. Kirby said the number of Air Force flights is likely to be about the same in the next 24 hours. However, he said that he cannot predict how many people they will take. “Military flights continue to arrive and depart and a limited number of commercial flights operate, as well as some foreign contracted flights in and out,” Kirby said.
Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin said earlier on Wednesday that the US military will have plans to expand its current mission in Afghanistan, from securing Kabul airport to gathering and evacuating Americans and at-risk Afghans elsewhere in the capital. There is no force and firepower to escort.
Austin said the State Department is sending more consular affairs officers to expedite the process of bringing people back. In reference to the speed of the airlift, he said, “We are not close to where we want to be. “
Pentagon talks to US military officer
In addition, the Pentagon said on Wednesday that senior US military officials at Kabul airport are talking to Taliban commanders about checkpoints and curfews. The curfew has limited the number of Americans and Afghans reaching the airport. Pentagon chief spokesman John Kirby told reporters that the Navy’s Rear Admiral Peter Wesley was in dialogue with Taliban commanders in an effort to further accelerate the evacuation. A large number of citizens of America and other countries are trying to get out.
