Poland ends Afghan evacuation as clock ticks down on airlift
WARSAW, Poland (AP) — Poland ended its evacuations from Afghanistan but other European nations vowed Wednesday to press on for as long as possible, as the clock ticks down on a dramatic airlift of people fleeing Taliban rule ahead of a full American withdrawal.
President Joe Biden said he is sticking to his Aug. 31 deadline for completing the U.S. pullout as the Taliban insisted he must, ramping up pressure on the already risky operation to fly people out of Kabul.
European allies pressed for more time but lost the argument, and as a practical matter they may be forced to end their evacuations before the last American troops leave. Several countries haven't said yet when they plan to end their operations, perhaps hoping to avoid yet another fatal crush at an airport, one of the last ways out of the country.
The Taliban wrested back control of Afghanistan nearly 20 years after they were ousted in a U.S.-led invasion following the 9/11 attacks, which al-Qaida orchestrated while being sheltered by the group. Their return to power has pushed many Afghans to flee, fearing reprisals or a return to the brutal rule they imposed when they last ran the country.
Thousands of people are still thought to be trying to leave, and it's not clear that all of them will be able to before the end of the month. But any decision by Biden to stay longer could reignite fighting between the Taliban and Western troops running the airlift.
"Due to extreme tension on the ground ... and the scheduled departure of American forces, these evacuations are a true race against time," French government spokesman Gabriel Attal said Wednesday. He said that his country's evacuation would likely end "a few hours, maybe a few days ahead" of the American departure.
The Taliban said they would allow normal commercial air traffic to resume when they assume control of the airport after Aug. 31, but it's unclear whether airlines would be willing to fly into an airport controlled by the militants.
With the deadline looming, Marcin Przydacz, a Polish deputy foreign minister, said Wednesday that Poland had evacuated its last group after consulting with U.S. and British officials.
"After a long analysis of reports on the security situation, we cannot risk the lives of our diplomats and of our soldiers any longer," Przydacz said.
A number of troops will remain briefly to wrap up operations, Przydacz said. Poland has used over a dozen planes to bring hundreds of evacuees to Warsaw. Some later traveled on to other countries.
The Czech Republic declared its own evacuation mission complete last week, and Hungary said it plans to end its operations soon.
The White House said Wednesday around 19,000 people were evacuated from Kabul over the last 24 hours. It said the U.S. has evacuated or facilitated the evacuation of around 82,300 people since the Taliban takeover in mid-August.
Pentagon spokesman John Kirby said the military will "continue to evacuate needed populations all the way to the end." But he added that in the final days and hours there will have to be a balance as the 5,400 troops in Kabul and critical systems also need to be withdrawn.