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“So far, the reduction does not affect the mission,” said one of the officials, adding that the field commander can decide which military personnel are in units that are no longer needed. This decision can be based on a few factors, including the number of doors open at the airport, the number of people passing by and more.
“If you can have a smaller mission set and continue to lead the mission, then you can reduce your footprint and lower your risk,” the official said.
In remarks at an emergency G7 meeting on Tuesday, Biden said the threat against US troops in Kabul was one of the main reasons he was sticking to the end of the month as the date of final withdrawal.
“The president has indicated that our mission in Kabul will end on the basis of achieving our goals,” White House press secretary Jen Psaki said in a statement. “He confirmed that we are currently on track to complete by August 31 and provided an update on the progress made in the evacuation of Americans who want to return home, third country nationals and Afghans who were our allies during the war. “
Psaki said Biden noted that the risks increased with each passing day in a country now controlled by the Taliban and warned in particular of the potential for terrorist attacks, which has become of acute concern within his administration. she declared.
“There has been no change in the timing of the mission, which must be completed by the end of the month,” Pentagon press secretary John Kirby said Tuesday morning.
“If the worst-case scenario happened, you wouldn’t want more people than you need,” the defense official said.
As the United States nears the final withdrawal date, the number of Afghan evacuees airlifted is expected to gradually decline, while the number of American troops sent by air is expected to increase.
The White House said Tuesday morning that 12,700 people had been evacuated by 37 US military flights and 8,900 had been evacuated by coalition flights in the past 24 hours. The Pentagon added that the military has increased the pace of flights from Kabul to one plane every 45 minutes or so.
In total, the White House says US efforts have facilitated the evacuation of around 58,700 people since August 14 and 63,900 since late July. About 1,000 Afghans have arrived at Dulles International Airport outside of Washington, DC, in the past 24 hours, according to the Pentagon.
But even as the United States transports tens of thousands of people out of the country, the situation in Afghanistan remains dire and many Afghans who participated in the war effort are still waiting their turn to leave.
US officials have bluntly described the real threat of terrorist attacks at Kabul airport as crowds gather outside the gates.
This story is out and will be updated.
CNN’s Paul LeBlanc contributed to this report.
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