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The escape from Afghanistan continued to escalate into a humiliating debacle for the United States on Saturday, as threats of attacks from ISIS and Taliban death squads – and conflicting directives from the White House – added to the perilous chaos faced by thousands of Americans and allies trying to flee. the country.
The US embassy said on Saturday that US citizens in Afghanistan should stay away from Kabul airport, the only way out.
The advice directly contradicted President Biden’s insistence on Friday that Americans could travel freely to Hamid Karzai International Airport from the Afghan capital and that an “deal” with the Taliban had been reached on the issue.
“Due to the potential security threats outside the gates of Kabul airport, we advise US citizens to avoid going to the airport and avoid the airport gates at this time. “the embassy said in a security alert on Saturday.
Islamic fundamentalists have taken control of the capital – and the United States says it lacks the logistical capacity to enter the city and save Americans individually.
While the airport remains under US control, the journey to it has become incredibly dangerous, with activists setting up arbitrary checkpoints along the route and hijacking or assaulting those seeking to pass, according to reports.
Reports emerged on Saturday that ISIS and other terrorist groups could be to blame, forcing the US military to find new ways to get evacuees to the airport, the Associated Press reported.
An Afghan interpreter – on his fifth attempt to reach the airport – told CBS News that the Taliban was telling people outside the airport that ISIS was planning an attack.
The new embassy guidelines highlight the growing crisis and confusion on the ground, as the United States scrambles to evacuate its citizens and Afghan allies from the clutches of the Taliban.
Former White House press secretary Ari Fleischer blasted Biden, saying the president had put Americans “just one bullet away from a bloodbath in Kabul.”
“I don’t know if I have ever seen a politician, especially at a dangerous time like this, being so in denial, disconnected, having lunch and having no idea,” Fleischer, who served in the George W. Bush, Rita Cosby told WABC radio on Friday.
In the past 24 hours, six US military C-17s and 32 charter flights have left the airport carrying a total of 3,800 passengers, military officials reported on Saturday. In Germany on Saturday, US soldiers were seen preparing barracks for the refugees.
Still, the situation in the country continued to deteriorate over the weekend as the Taliban moved to consolidate their gains and subdue the population.
Taliban death squads were on Saturday searching for Afghans and others they said collaborated with the United States or the recently ousted Islamic Republic of Afghanistan, according to a group assisting Afghan interpreters caught in chaos.
Australian nonprofit Forsaken Fighters said “tens of thousands” could potentially be at risk.
“Interpreters on the ground in Kandahar reported that the Taliban were actively looking for interpreters who supported coalition forces, even using local children to help point people and go door to door to find them,” he said. the organization told The Sun.
“People are dragged out of their homes and executed. It is a truly horrible situation. The sheer desperation of those people who have helped us is overwhelming.
A family member of a journalist with German broadcaster Deutsche Welle was shot dead by the Taliban, the broadcaster confirmed, adding that other staff around the country have seen their homes searched, Reuters reported.
The Taliban created “priority lists” of alleged collaborators to be tracked down in the effort and carried out “targeted door-to-door visits” according to a leaked United Nations document consulted by Agence France-Presse.
John Kirby, a spokesperson for the Department of Defense, was asked about terrorist threats at a press conference on Saturday, but declined to give further details.
“We are not going to go into specific details about the threat environment,” he said.
During the same briefing, Kirby defended his remarks made just days before Kabul fell to the Taliban, saying the city was “not at the moment in an environment of imminent threat”.
“At the time I said it, based on what we knew at the time, that was a real statement. And yes, two days later things have changed dramatically. I will readily admit that. Things have moved very, very quickly, ”Kirby told Fox News on Saturday.
Additional reporting by Mary Kay Linge and Eileen AJ Connelly
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