Joe Biden, President, confirmed that the U.S. has extended the perimeter surrounding Kabul's international airport, Afghanistan to allow for the safe evacuation of thousands American citizens and Afghan allies.
The risk of ISIS-K attacking innocent civilians and troops at the airport is real, even though we are moving back the perimeter considerably, Biden stated in a speech at White House. He was referring to the Central Asia branch, which is a violent Islamist group. We are working as hard as possible to get people out. This is our mission. This is our goal.
The president declined to give any further details about the administration's efforts to expand evacuation operations beyond the Kabul airport.
He said that he would not talk about the tactical adjustments made to ensure security. It has been a constant effort to increase rational access to the airport so that more people can travel safely. Although it is still dangerous, I won't go into detail.
According to the president, the Taliban had "been cooperative in expanding some of the perimeter.
Biden also spoke about his administration's increased efforts to evacuate civilians from Afghanistan. He stated that 28,000 people were evacuated since August 14. He also discussed the activation and details of the Civil Reserve Air Fleet. This asks U.S. charter and airlines to help with evacuation efforts.
The president gave a speech on Sunday that was a departure from his previous hard-line rhetoric. He also reiterated his support for the withdrawal decision, as the evacuation of thousands from Kabul will be difficult and painful no matter what time it began.
Biden stated that there is no way to evacuate so many people without suffering and losing heartbreaking images. It's a fact. It breaks my heart to see the people you love.
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He said that while the U.S. military had evacuated approximately 11,000 Kabul residents in 36 hours, and that there is no reason to believe that this pace will be slowed down, there was still much work ahead and many things could go wrong.
Biden stated that while he was determined to meet the Aug. 31 deadline to withdraw all troops from Afghanistan, his administration was still in discussions with the military to extend it to allow for the safe evacuation of Afghan citizens and allies.
Biden was asked if the Taliban would accept an extension.
