Topline
Monday's statement by the Biden administration indicated that it believes it can complete the evacuation of all Americans from Afghanistan by August 31, a date the Taliban called "a red line", despite the pressure from the U.S. allies to prolong the operation in the face of security threats in Kabul.
Jake Sullivan, White House National Security Advisor, speaks during Monday's daily press briefing at... [+] White House. Getty Images
The Key Facts
U.S. National security Advisor Jake Sullivan believes the United States can fly all American evacuees out by August 31. Pentagon Press Secretary John Kirby stated Monday that the United States is focusing on trying to accomplish this task as efficiently as possible by Monday's end. However, both administration officials have not ruled out the possibility of staying longer if needed. Biden expressed similar sentiments over the past days. He claimed Friday that he is still evaluating whether he will stay beyond Aug. 31, but believes he can do it by Monday. The U.K. Defense Secretary John Kirby said Monday that while additional time is required, Jean-Yves Le Drian, French foreign minister, told reporters that extra time was needed. Ben Wallace, U.K. defense minister, stated that the United States may extend its timeline by one or two days and Heiko Maas, German foreign minister, said that talks are ongoing. According to a Taliban spokesperson, an extension was not possible Monday. He told Sky News that the Taliban views Aug. 31 in a red line. Foreign troops could be provoked and face unspecified consequences for staying beyond that date.
Important Quote
Sullivan stated that we believe we have enough time to expel the American citizens from Kabul in the remaining days.
Important Background
The United States has been scrambling to evacuate Americans, Afghans who helped the U.S. military, and anyone else who might be subject to retribution by the Taliban since the Taliban overtook Kabul and toppled Afghanistan's government more than a week earlier. The military has occupied Kabul's airport and flown out over 37,000 people in nine days. Flights have sped-up recently, Sullivan stated Monday. However, many observers have criticized Biden's withdrawal that was marred by disruptions. According to reports, Taliban have set up checkpoints at the airport and harassed and attacked American evacuees. The U.S. Embassy urged Americans not to leave the area over the weekend because of security threats. Sullivan warned Americans about the threat from the Islamic States affiliate in Afghanistan. Flights were halted for hours on Friday due to a Qatari processing facility for U.S.-bound Afghans running out of space. The rapid withdrawal of the Taliban has caused chaos, with scores of Afghans rushing onto the airport and holding on to the landing gear of military aircraft last week.
What we don't know
The federal government doesn't know how many Americans are still in Afghanistan. Last week's estimates ranged from 5,000 to 10,000. Sullivan claims that officials don't have a hard count as some Americans didn't register at the U.S. Embassy, Kabul. He said this was their right. Others contacted the Embassy on arrival in Afghanistan, but failed to notify U.S. staff afterwards.
Tangent
The Taliban promised that Americans would be allowed to reach Kabul's airport safely. However, many of the evacuees face a difficult journey. Sullivan claimed Monday that the U.S. military had developed a way to transport people to the airport. Although he did not give specifics, Sullivan stated that hundreds of Americans were rescued by helicopter late last week.
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Afghanistan: Taliban warns of 'consequences" if Biden delays withdrawing US troops from Afghanistan (Sky News).
