senator Jonny Ernst (R-Iowa), the first female veteran elected to the House of Lords CongressSaid that the United States should “absolutely” send a military convoy to help evacuate Americans from the Kabul Airport in Afghanistan.
Talk about ABC information’ this week, Ernst said that she believes that the US government and military should “do everything possible” to allow Americans to safely arrive at the airport for evacuation after Afghanistan. Fell under the control of the Taliban last week.
“We are the most powerful army on the planet, and we should exercise these powers to ensure that we demonstrate our military power, especially in evacuation of Americans,” she said on Sunday.
“this Taliban It needs to be very clear that we have the right to let our American citizens leave Afghanistan,” the senator added. “If that means we need to escort them to our airport to let them leave, then we will do that.
“We should have no reason not to exercise our power to evacuate those who not only support our American military,” she continued, “and our own citizens. They should be evacuated safely.”
Ernst’s statement comes as he fears that Americans are trying to arrive at Kabul Airport for evacuation May face a terrorist attack by the Islamic State organization (Islamic State) Or threats from the Taliban. The U.S. Embassy told citizens on Saturday “Avoid going to the airport at this time and avoid entering the airport boarding gate unless you receive individual instructions from a U.S. government representative.” Potential security threats.
On Sunday, the National Security Advisor Jack Sullivan Said that the threat of attack is “real” and “persistent” and said that US officials are using “every tool in our arsenal” to protect the safety of Americans.A few days ago, the Secretary of Defense Lloyd Austin Reportedly told lawmakers According to multiple sources cited by Politico, during a briefing call, “some people, including Americans, were harassed or even beaten by the Taliban”.
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Also on Sunday morning, the U.S. Department of Defense The Civil Reserve Air Force (CRAF) has been activated for only the third time in history, Call on commercial airlines to be prepared to assist in the ongoing evacuation work.this means American airlines, Atlas Air, Delta Air Lines, Omni Air, Hawaiian Airlines and United Airlines A total of 18 aircraft will be provided to support the evacuation of citizens and personnel. These commercial jets are not expected to enter or exit Kabul Airport, but to help transport thousands of people stranded at US bases in Qatar, Bahrain and Germany.
So far, the Pentagon Said that approximately 17,000 people, including 2,500 Americans, have been evacuated from Kabul.By Sunday, it’s not clear how many Americans are still Afghanistan, Although Sullivan estimates it is still “a few thousand.”
For those who want to leave the country, the national security adviser said “it is our responsibility to let them leave.”
“This is what we are currently doing. We are working to organize groups of Americans, take them to the air base, let them board the plane, and then let them leave the country,” Sullivan said in an interview. CNN Interview on Sunday. He added that the Taliban have been warned that if Americans cannot reach the airport safely, the United States “will respond quickly.”
President Joe Biden He insisted that his deadline for completing the full withdrawal of US troops from Afghanistan is August 31, but he pointed out that if there are still Americans in the country, it may be extended. After evacuation efforts and the Taliban’s rapid takeover of Afghanistan, Biden faced a lot of criticism.
according to New polls released by NBC News on Sunday, Only 25% of the interviewees said they agreed with Biden’s handling of the situation in Afghanistan, while 60% of the interviewees said they did not approve of the president’s actions.
Weekly newspaper The White House was contacted for more comment, but did not respond to the publication in time.
