Latest news on the Taliban takeover, refugees and the US withdrawal

G7 leaders plan to pressure President Biden to extend the August 31 deadline for the withdrawal of US troops from Afghanistan in a virtual meeting on Tuesday, officials said. Biden has not publicly committed to such a move, worrying some allies who fear there isn’t enough time to get their Afghan citizens and allies out.

Biden said on Sunday that discussions were underway on the possibility of staying longer in the country. But the Taliban have indicated that they consider the August 31 date to be firm.

Tuesday’s effort is expected to be led by UK Prime Minister Boris Johnson, who is the current G7 chairman under his rotating leadership. French President Emmanuel Macron and German Chancellor Angela Merkel are also expected to lobby. Macron, during a phone call with Biden last week, told the president that the West cannot abandon vulnerable Afghan allies.

Biden discussed the schedule in one-on-one phone calls with G7 leaders over the past week, including Johnson, Merkel and Macron, but has not made a firm commitment to stay in Kabul after the month is over, have officials said.

During a closed-door meeting of NATO foreign ministers on Friday, several European allies publicly expressed their wish to maintain their troops beyond August 31 in order to get more people out of Afghanistan, a said a person close to the meeting. The United States was without commitment.

“Our hope is that we won’t have to extend, but there are talks,” Biden said on Sunday. He suggested the United States would consult with the Taliban to decide whether to stay beyond the end of the month.

“I’ll tell them ‘We’ll see what we can do,'” he said when asked what he would say to the G7 leaders if they asked for an extension of the deadline.