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Joe Biden rejected calls from domestic and international allies to keep troops in Afghanistan for evacuation efforts beyond the end of the month, citing the growing threat of a terrorist attack.
In a move likely to fuel criticism that America is abandoning its Afghan partners to the Taliban, the US president has made it clear that he is committed to withdrawing his forces from Kabul airport before the deadline next Tuesday.
“We are currently on the cusp of ending August 31,” Biden said Tuesday at the White House. “The sooner we can finish, the better. Each day of operations brings additional risk to our troops.
The president acknowledged that the completion of the airlift – one of the largest in history – by August 31 depends on continued Taliban cooperation and uninterrupted access to the airport. operations.
Biden also noted that he had asked the Pentagon and the State Department for “contingency plans to adjust the schedule should it become necessary.”
He continued, “I am determined to make sure that we accomplish our mission, this mission. I am also aware of the increasing risks of which I have been informed and of the need to take these risks into account.
These “acute and growing” risks include possible terrorist attacks from Isis-K, the Afghan affiliate of the Islamic State group which is also a nemesis of the Taliban, he said. “Every day that we are on the ground is another day that we know that Isis-K seeks to target the airport and attack both US and Allied forces as well as innocent civilians.”
Biden pointed out that 70,700 people have been evacuated from Kabul since August 14. But his reluctance to extend the August 31 deadline has disappointed politicians at home and leaders abroad who argue it’s unrealistic.
Kevin McCarthy, the Republican leader in the House of Representatives, said at a press conference: “There is no way to get all the Americans out again in Afghanistan in the next seven days.
Mitt Romney, Republican senator from Utah and former presidential candidate, added: plan to get these people to safety.
There are particular fears for Afghan civilians who, if left behind, risk retaliation from the Taliban for working with Western forces, missions and non-governmental organizations.
Romney added: “To leave vulnerable Afghans – many of whom risked their lives and the lives of their families, in service to our country – to face the wrath of the Taliban would be a total disgrace and a moral failure. Evacuation efforts should only end when the job is done.
The United States struck a deal with the Taliban, who overthrew the Afghan government with shocking speed, to withdraw their forces by August 31, including from the Kabul airport. But the Biden administration has not been able to say how many Americans are in Afghanistan or how many have been evacuated.
On Tuesday, a virtual meeting of the G7 – Britain, Canada, France, Germany, Italy, Japan and the United States – debated the withdrawal date and ended in bitter disappointment for those seeking to persuade Biden to extend the end date.
Charles Michel, President of the European Council, said: “Several leaders at the G7 meeting expressed concerns about this timeline on August 31, and we also had the opportunity to express our opinion on it. . “
Boris Johnson, British Prime Minister, added after the meeting: “We will continue until the last moment we can. But you heard what the President of the United States had to say, you heard what the Taliban said.
“I think you have to understand the context in which we are doing this. We are convinced that we can draw thousands more from it. But the situation at the airport is not improving, there are public order problems, these are painful scenes for those who try to get out, and it is also difficult for our soldiers.
The Taliban have allowed the airlift to continue so far without major interference. But during a press conference in Kabul, Taliban spokesman Zabihullah Mujahid said his group would not agree to “any extension” of the deadline.
Mujahid also said the Taliban still allow foreign nationals to leave but prevent Afghans from reaching the airport on the grounds that it is dangerous and their skills are needed to rebuild the country. “We ask the Americans to change their policy and not to encourage the Afghans to leave,” he added.
A 2020 deal reached by then-President Donald Trump and the Taliban initially set a deadline for the full withdrawal of US troops in May, after nearly 20 years of war there. Biden extended the deadline to August 31, but did not anticipate how quickly the Afghan government and military would collapse.
Democrats and Republicans argued that more time was needed and that the Taliban should not be allowed to dictate their terms.
Mikie Sherrill, House Armed Services Committee member and former Navy helicopter pilot, said after a classified briefing: “Make no mistake, this evacuation is an extremely dangerous mission and it should become even more dangerous. in the next few days. I asked that the SecDef and the SecState encourage the president in the strongest possible terms to reconsider this deadline. “
Ben Sasse, a Republican senator from Nebraska, added bluntly: “To hell with the deadline. The American people are not going to hand our citizens over to the Taliban. The Americans want us to stay until we are out of our people, and so do our allies.
“The Biden administration must eliminate Stockholm syndrome. There is absolutely no reason to trust the Taliban – they are violently blocking the Americans and our Afghan partners from reaching the airport.
The United States on Tuesday ramped up its 24-hour airlift of evacuees from Afghanistan to the highest level yet. About 21,600 people fled Afghanistan safely during the 24-hour period that ended early Tuesday, the White House said, eclipsing the 16,000 displaced the day before.
But on Tuesday, the Axios website reported obtaining an email in which a US official described conditions at Al Udeid air base in Doha, Qatar, where many Afghan refugees are staying, as “living hell”. littered with feces, urine and rats. John Kirby, a Pentagon spokesman, said “no one is looking for excuses” and “everyone is focused on trying” to improve conditions.
Meanwhile, CIA Director William Burns secretly traveled to Kabul on Monday to meet with the Taliban’s top political leader, Abdul Ghani Baradar, according to multiple media that the White House declined to confirm.
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