Biden to decide on extension of Afghan troop withdrawal in next 24 hours: report

President BidenJoe BidenHenri demoted to tropical depression as he pours rain over northeastern Britain to urge G7 leaders to consider adopting Taliban sanctions: report Five lawmakers to watch before vote room budget key PLUS will decide whether or not to extend the timetable for the withdrawal of US troops from Afghanistan in the next 24 hours, as the security situation in the country continues to deteriorate amid the Taliban offensive.

Reuters reported, citing an administration official, that Biden will decide within 24 hours whether the United States will extend its August 31 deadline for the troop withdrawal mission to give the Pentagon more time to evacuate the Americans. and their Afghan allies.

The US military has stepped up its evacuation efforts since the Taliban took control of Afghanistan last week, working to remove US citizens and their Afghan allies from the country.

About 48,000 people have been evacuated from Afghanistan since August 14, including 10,900 people who were withdrawn from the country in the first half of Monday.

Defense Ministry officials, however, are said to be concerned that it will take longer to evacuate the rest of the personnel from Afghanistan amid a chaotic and rapid sweep of power by the Taliban.

In addition to the thousands of Americans, citizens of allied countries and Afghans who worked with the United States, approximately 6,000 troops deployed to assist in the evacuation process have yet to be withdrawn from the country. Defense officials said the last part could take days, according to Reuters.

Biden left the door open to extending the withdrawal mission on Sunday, saying in a White House speech: “There are ongoing discussions between us and the military over the extension.”

While Biden was considering an extension, some of his advisers have reportedly argued for an exit by August 31, citing security concerns.

However, two US officials told the newswire that they expect the United States to still carry out evacuations after next week.

Defense officials told Reuters almost everything should go perfectly for the United States to remove all American citizens by August 31 amid concerns at Kabul airport, threats of terrorist attacks potential and complicated processing times.

The Taliban, however, are signaling that they will not be receptive to such a move. Group spokesman Suhail Shaheen told Sky News on Monday that the August 31 deadline, set by Biden last month after moving it from the original September 11 date, is a “red line. “.

The Hill has contacted the White House for comment.