- While thousands of Americans and Afghans were waiting for flights at the airport, there were reports of Taliban fighters or other militants beating and harassing people.
- On Saturday, the United States urged its citizens to avoid going to Kabul Airport.
- According to Biden, as many as 15,000 Americans need to be evacuated from Afghanistan.
The United States on Saturday urged its citizens in Afghanistan to avoid going to Kabul Airport, citing a “potential security threat” near its gate.
A week ago, a group of people hoping to flee the Taliban to take over the country appeared at Hamid Karzai International Airport.
When thousands of Americans and Afghans were waiting for flights at the airport or nervously gathered outside the gates, the Pentagon confirmed “sporadic” reports of Taliban fighters or other militants beating and harassing people trying to escape.
“We recommend that American citizens avoid going to the airport at this time and avoid the airport boarding gate unless you receive individual instructions from a representative of the U.S. government,” the alert issued by the U.S. Embassy in Kabul said.
The warning did not provide detailed information about the danger, but a White House official later stated that the assistant had briefed President Joe Biden on the local “counter-terrorism operations”, including the “counter-terrorism operations” against the Islamic State group.
“This morning, the President met with his national security team…They discussed the security situation in Afghanistan and counter-terrorism operations, including ISIS-K,” the official said.
The Islamic State of Afghanistan, known as the Islamic State of Khorasan (IS-K or ISIS-K), has been in a state of retreat since suffering heavy losses in 2019, but still retains the ability to launch attacks in urban areas.
Biden said that as many as 15,000 Americans need to be evacuated from Afghanistan, and he said the government wants at least 50,000 Afghan allies and their families to leave the country.
Pentagon spokesman John Kirby said the military is working urgently to complete its evacuation from Kabul by the end of August.
He said: “We have always admitted very honestly that we are struggling with time and space, and this is the race we are now engaged in.”
‘Bad exit’
American Major General Hank Taylor stated that since the operation began on August 14, 17,000 people have been taken away, many of whom first flew to Qatar or Kuwait. The total includes 2,500 Americans.
He added that in the past 24 hours, 6 military C-17 planes and 32 chartered planes took off from Kabul Airport with 3,800 people on board, a sharp drop from the previous day.
An official said that on Friday, the US military sent a helicopter to rescue more than 150 Americans who could not reach the airport gate.
Biden promised to help any American seeking evacuation in Afghanistan. He said: “Any American who wants to go home, we will send you home.”
But he also admitted that thousands of American soldiers at the airport cannot guarantee safe passage through Kabul.
In a telephone briefing on Sunday, senior Canadian government officials described the situation around the airport as “fragile, chaotic and desperate.”
They said that the Canadian army had evacuated nearly 1,000 Afghans from the country, adding: “This is a dangerous mission.”
Former President Donald Trump, who was ousted by Biden in the 2020 general election, accused his successor, the US military, of “badly withdrawing” from Afghanistan.
At a rally in Alabama, he also praised the Taliban as “a great negotiator and a tough fighter.”
Trump and the Taliban signed an agreement, according to conditions, the agreement will lead to the complete withdrawal of US troops by May.
He also ensured the release of Taliban founder Abdul Ghani Baradar from Pakistani prisons, the highest leader of the movement that has been open since the fall of Afghanistan.
Do not miss a story. Choose from our newsletterSend the news you want directly to your inbox.
