U.S. forces have evacuated nearly 28,000 people from Afghanistan in the past week, Biden said. 11,000 of these were evacuated during the last 36 hours.
“Our first priority in Kabul is to evacuate American citizens as quickly and safely as possible,” the president said.
He says that there are still more Americans left in the country, and that work is being done to get them to the airport.
– All Americans who want to get home will get home, Biden promises.
– A lot can still go wrong
The Democrat, who has received harsh criticism for the chaos that now reigns in Kabul and around the airport, emphasizes that the work is demanding.
– It is impossible to evacuate so many people without pain, loss and the heartbreaking pictures you see on TV. My heart bleeds for those people, says the president.
– The road to Kabul airport is dangerous and heavily guarded by Taliban soldiers. Photo: Reuters
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The United States has now begun extensive diplomatic cooperation to ensure that evacuation work continues as quickly as possible. In addition, the authorities have ordered private airlines to make their aircraft available for work.
– We still have a long way to go and a lot can still go wrong, but the work we have seen in recent weeks is unique, says Biden.
Have discussions with the Taliban
August 31 is the official end date for US forces in Afghanistan. The EU has previously warned that the United States will never be able to complete the evacuation by then. On Sunday, Biden says he is open to extending his stay.
– We are discussing together the military to expand. We hope that we do not have to, but the discussion is about how far we are to reach the goal, says Biden.
The end date has been negotiated as part of the agreement between the United States and the Taliban. When asked if a postponement is something the Taliban will accept, the president says:
– We have had many discussions with the Taliban, they have cooperated and expanded the area we have available around the airport. It remains to be seen whether we will ask them for a postponement.
Fear IS attacks
At the same time as the work of evacuating Americans and local employees is in full swing, the remaining forces in Afghanistan are constantly facing new challenges.
– The security situation is constantly changing. We know that terrorists can try to take advantage of the situation, by attacking civilian or American forces, says Biden.
– A US soldier accompanies a group of evacuated women to the airport in Kabul. Photo: US Marines via Reuters
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Therefore, the situation at the airport is closely monitored.
– The potential threat is IS, or IS-K, the Afghan department, but we are fully aware of the threat. Every day we have forces on the ground, these are under threat from IS.
Seven civilians died
Earlier Sunday, there were again reports of deadly chaos at the airport in Kabul. At least seven Afghan civilians have lost their lives in the area around the airport, according to British soldiers.
The roads leading to the airport have been congested with traffic, and there have been reports that the Taliban and other militants have stopped, beaten and harassed Afghans who want to flee.
The Taliban blames the United States for the chaos, even though the group’s fighters have beaten and shot at people who have tried to get to the airport in the last week, writes the news agency AP.
– America, with all its power and strength, has not managed to create peace and order at the airport. There is peace and quiet elsewhere in the country and chaos only at the airport in Kabul, says Taliban leader Amir Khan Mutaqi.
Taliban soldiers have fired into the air to chase people away, and US soldiers guarding the airport have opened fire, killing at least two people who they say were armed.
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