In a speech, President Joe Biden told reporters on Tuesday that the US is “on pace” to meet a 31 August deadline for evacuations, despite G7 leaders call for an extension.
“We will look to withdraw military personnel from Kabul as soon as possible, adding that “each day of operations brings added risks to our troops”.
“We agree that we will continue our close cooperation to get people out as efficiently and safely as possible,” he added.
Biden said that the timeline depended on the Taliban’s continued cooperation in allowing people to access the Kabul airport.
Speaking from the White House Tuesday evening, Biden said he has asked Pentagon and the State Department for contingency plans to adjust the timeline should that become necessary.
“We are currently on a pace to finish by August the 31st. The sooner we can finish, the better,” Biden said. “Each day of operations brings added risk to our troops.”
“We are determined to complete this mission,” Biden said, adding that the United States has helped some 70,000 people leave the country since Aug. 14.
“Another 19 U.S. military flights, 18 C-17s and one C-130 carrying approximately 6,400 evacuees, and 31 coalition flights carrying 5,600 people have left Kabul just in the last 12 hours — a total of 50 more flights, 12,000 more people since I’ve updated you this morning,” Biden said.
During a meeting Tuesday morning with the G7 leaders, Biden told the world leaders that the U.S. mission in Kabul will end based on the achievement of its objectives.
He told that the US is currently on pace to finish by August 31st and provided an update on progress in evacuating Americans who want to come home, third-country nationals, and Afghans who were our allies during the war.
He also made clear to the leaders that with each day of operations on the ground, we have added risk to our troops with increasing threats from ISIS-K, and that completion of the mission by August 31st depends on continued coordination with the Taliban, including continued access for evacuees to the airport.
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