Afghanistan: Taliban warn “there will be consequences” if US delays withdrawal | President Joe Biden does not rule out continuing evacuation operations beyond August 31

The Taliban warned Monday that the United States and its allies risked “consequences” if they delay the withdrawal from Afghanistan.. President Joe Biden does not rule out extending evacuations beyond August 31, the date he himself set to complete the withdrawal of US troops from Afghanistan, although White House national security adviser Jake Sullivan on Monday stressed that the speed of the operation “exceeds the government’s expectations. For its part, the British government of Boris Johnson reiterated its intention to demand that the United States extend operations in Kabul during a virtual G7 summit convened on Tuesday.

In a new incident amid the chaotic evacuation efforts for those trying to flee the country after the Taliban seized power, an Afghan soldier was killed and three wounded in a shooting at the access to the Kabul airport. Meanwhile, the Taliban continue to send fighters to the north of the country to eliminate the remaining pockets of resistance to a conquest that culminated on August 15 with the capture of the Afghan capital.

“There will be consequences”

“If the United States or the United Kingdom asks for more time to continue the evacuations, the answer is no. Or there will be consequences.”, declared Suhail shaheen, spokesperson for the Taliban, on the British channel Sky News. US President Joe Biden, put under pressure by his allies, on Sunday opened up the possibility of maintaining the troops beyond August 31 to continue the evacuation. “In the days that remain, we believe we have the resources to drive out the Americans who want to leave Kabul.”, insurance provided Jake sullivan, Washington’s national security adviser.

Since taking power in Afghanistan on August 15, the Taliban are trying to convince the population that their regime will be less brutal than the previous experience between 1996 and 2001. But his promises do not put an end to the will of thousands to flee the country. The United States has already evacuated some 33,000 people since August 14, it hopes to expel 15,000 Americans from the country and also about 50 or 60,000 Afghans.

Johnson wants to extend the term

British Prime Minister Boris Johnson to ask Joe Biden to extend the deadline to evacuate those who wish to leave Afghanistan. The Johnson government, which convened a virtual G7 summit on Tuesday, understands that without the US presence in Afghanistan, other countries will have no choice but to stop their own evacuations.

“It is really important that people understand that the United States has more than 6,000 people at Kabul airport and that when they pull out, that will remove the frame and we will also have to leave,” the British minister stressed. of the defense. Ben wallace has the BBC lock. “I don’t think there is a chance the UK will stay after the US. If their schedule is extended by one or two days, that will give us one or two more days to evacuate people, “he added.

He is not the only ally to have spoken in favor of an extension of the evacuation. Foreign Minister Jean Yves Le Drian assured that France considers “necessary” an “additional time” to complete the operation. And Germany is in negotiations with the United States, Turkey and other countries to keep the airport open after August 31. However, the spokesperson for the Taliban Shaheen he said that the stipulated date is a “red line” and the extension of the American presence “will provoke a reaction”.

“They invited them”

Taliban accuse US of killing civilians at Kabul airport, by ensuring that the “attraction effect” which caused the start of the evacuations is at the origin of the chaos on the Afghan airfield. “US forces stationed at Hamid Karzai Airport are responsible for killing civilians because they invited them”said the main spokesperson for the insurgents, Zabihullah Mujahid.

Mujahid assured that the Taliban fighters are deployed in the area of ​​the airfield “so as not to allow irresponsible men to enter the interior of the airport”. The words of the Taliban spokesperson come on the same day that German authorities reported a attack by an armed individual against the security forces deployed on the airfield. The shooting took place at the north gate of Kabul airport, and a member of the Afghan security forces was killed and three others were injured, in an incident in which German and American forces were also involved.

The future government in abeyance

The city of Kabul recorded a certain calm on Monday. Taliban fighters patrol its streets and monitor checkpoints. Although no government has yet been put in place, negotiations are continuing with prominent Afghans to achieve an “inclusive” cabinet. Corn Insurgents have warned they will not announce the establishment of a new government as long as there are US troops in Afghanistan.

Outside Kabul, there have been outbreaks of resistance against the Taliban. Some former government soldiers gathered in the Panshir valley, north of Kabul. The insurgent movement announced on Monday that it had surrounded the resistance fighters and promised to “resolve this problem peacefully”.