Biden puts ball in Taliban’s court on evac completion by Aug 31
President Joe Biden has said the US is on “a pace” to complete its evacuation mission in Afghanistan by August 31 and doesn’t plan to have troops in the country past that date, but the completion of the deadline depends on cooperation from the Taliban.
The US has currently approximately 5,800 troops at the Hamid Karzai International Airport in Kabul.
“We are currently on a pace to finish by August 31. The sooner we can finish, the better. Each day of operations brings added risk to our troops,” Biden told reporters at the White House on Tuesday.
“But the completion by August 31 depends on the Taliban continuing to cooperate and allow access to the airport for those who were transporting out and no disruptions to our operations,” he said.
The Taliban -- which seized power in Afghanistan on August 15, two weeks before the US was set to complete its troop withdrawal after a costly two-decade war -- has warned that the US must end its evacuation mission on August 31.
Taliban spokesman Zabihullah Mujahid in a news conference in Kabul on Tuesday said the US must stick to its self-imposed deadline. “After that we won’t let Afghans be taken out” on evacuation flights, he said.
Any decision by the US to stay longer could led to a war between them and the US troops, the Taliban has said.
Biden said he has asked Pentagon and the State Department for contingency plans to adjust the August 31 timetable of leaving Afghanistan, “should that become necessary”.
“Every day we’re on the ground is another day we know ISIS-K is seeking to target the airport and attack both US and allied forces and innocent civilians,” Biden said.
The Islamic State group’s Afghanistan affiliate, ISIS-K, is known for staging suicide attacks on civilians.
Russia’s defence minister has voiced concern about the Taliban seizing a large number of weapons, including air defence missile systems, after sweeping over Afghanistan. Sergei Shoigu said on Tuesday the Taliban has captured hundreds of combat vehicles along with a number of warplanes and helicopters.