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“Ultimately, it will be the president’s decision how it plays out; no one else, ”a senior US official said.
Only President Joe Biden decides when US troops leave Afghanistan, senior national security adviser Jake Sullivan said after the Taliban threatened the White House with “”consequencesIf US forces remain in the country beyond August 31.
“Ultimately, it will be the president’s decision how it plays out; no one else, ”Jake Sullivan said Monday at a press briefing.
He confirmed that the United States is “engaging” and “consulting” the Taliban on “every aspect of what is happening in Kabul now.”
The Taliban captured Kabul earlier this month amid Biden’s decision to withdraw his troops from the country after a 20-year war.
U.S. forces maintain control of Hamid Karzai International Airport, where the Pentagon has deployed thousands of troops to evacuate U.S. citizens and Afghans who worked with the United States during the conflict.
Biden had set August 31 as the deadline for all US troops to leave the country but said US forces would stay until all US citizens are evacuated, even if it means staying beyond the end of the month.
“If the United States or the United Kingdom were looking for more time to continue with the evacuations, the answer is no. Or there would be consequences, ”Suhail Shaheen, member of the Taliban delegation in Doha, told Sky News on Monday.
For his part, Sullivan said the operation at the airport is making “substantial progress” with 37,000 people evacuated since Aug. 14.
“We have established a network of transit centers in several Gulf and European countries, where we bring US citizens on return flights, and we perform biometric and biographical background checks on Afghan evacuees before bringing them to United States or have them. transferred to a third country.
“In total, 26 countries on four continents are contributing to this effort, one of the greatest airlifts in history – a massive military, diplomatic, security and humanitarian enterprise.”
However, the airport was the scene of deadly chaos and desperation with thousands of waiting in dire conditions.
White House spokeswoman Jen Psaki said the president was on standby her decision withdraw US troops from the country, welcoming the evacuations.
“His goal right now is to take the actions and make the decisions that he believes are in the best interests of our national security and the American people,” she said of Biden.
“And that can mean that there are chaotic scenes; it can mean that there are people who disapprove of his decisions. He understands it and accepts it.
Later Monday, the State Department clarified that the United States was communicating with the Taliban with the narrow aim of securing the evacuations, of not recognizing a government led by the group.
“It’s not about asking permission; it’s not about establishing formal relationships, ”said Ned Price, spokesperson for the State Department. “This is about doing everything we can to facilitate safe passage to ensure that the Taliban know that any effort to prevent the evacuation of American citizens, to hamper our operations … would meet a very swift and harsh response.”
He added that the United States is not involved in talks between the Taliban and the Afghan government.
Price said the United States was “in discussions” with the Taliban about maintaining a functioning commercial airport in Kabul after the withdrawal of American troops.
Price said a Taliban-led government must have an airport that would allow people to leave the country if it is to have links with the rest of the world.
“A government that has any semblance of a relationship with the rest of the world needs a functioning commercial airport,” Price said.
“We are in talks with the Taliban on this same front. They told us unequivocally that they were looking to have a functional commercial airport. “
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