Biden calls for ‘contingency plans’ to extend Afghanistan withdrawal in astonishing reversal

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President Joe Biden has announced that he has asked defense officials to develop contingency plans to keep US forces on the ground in Afghanistan beyond the end of this month, although he said earlier Tuesday that the White House would respect the Taliban’s red line of a complete withdrawal by August 31.

Biden said on Tuesday that the completion of the evacuation of US forces at Kabul International Airport by the end of this month “depends on continued Taliban cooperation,” and confirmed that he had asked the Pentagon and the State Department for “contingency plans to adjust the schedule, if necessary.”

Biden delivered his latest update on the ongoing chaos in brief remarks from the Roosevelt Room at the White House. He spoke for about 13 minutes, the first five of which were spent on his home agenda and did not respond to any questions from the press.

The president insisted that the United States and its allies “are currently on the right track” to complete the evacuations by August 31, a date that the Taliban called a “red line” beyond which no American troops can stay.

“The sooner we can finish, the better,” said the president. “Every day of operations brings additional risk to our troops.” He cited the threat of an attack by ISIS’s affiliate in Afghanistan, known as ISIS-K.

The president announces his decision to “contingency plans” involving US law enforcement in Afghanistan. In this satellite photo released by Maxar Technologies, the crowded entrance to Kabul International Airport is visible amid evacuations on August 23, 2021. AP

“Every day that we’re on the ground is another day that we know ISIS-K is looking to target the airport and attack both US and Allied forces as well as innocent civilians,” Biden said.

Earlier Tuesday, White House press secretary Jen Psaki admitted to reporters that evacuations of Americans, Europeans and their Afghan allies should stop before the 31st to allow time for US forces to leave the country safely with their equipment.

It would take time to end the presence, the press secretary said.

Biden spoke just over seven hours after meeting virtually with the leaders of the G7 countries (Canada, France, Germany, Italy, Japan and the UK) as well as the European Union, NATO and the United Nations. .

Americas European allies have called on Biden to extend the stay of US forces beyond the end of this month to ensure that as many people as possible can escape Afghanistan.

The president also sought to allay the concerns expressed by some conservatives regarding the control of the thousands of Afghan refugees who are brought to America. He vowed that “anyone arriving in the United States will have undergone a background check” and called on Americans to work together to help newcomers resettle.

Biden estimated in an interview last week that between 10,000 and 15,000 Americans were in Afghanistan, which was recaptured by the Taliban earlier this month. Earlier Tuesday, Pentagon press secretary John Kirby said about 4,000 US passport holders had been deported from Afghanistan along with their families.

Afghans caught in the chaos of Kabul airport say victims are shot, beaten and trampled to death with at least 20 killed, including a 2-year-old girl TwitterUS Marines and Norwegian coalition forces are helping with security at Hamid Karzai International Airport, Kabul, Afghanistan. Staff Sgt. Victor Mancilla / United States Marine Corps via Getty Images

However, lawmakers on both sides said there was not enough time to get all Americans out of Afghanistan before the deadline.

We have a moral obligation to make sure we get American citizens and our Afghan partners out, said Rep. Jason Crow (D-Colo.), An Afghanistan war veteran. There are more of these people in the country in Afghanistan right now than we have the capacity to evacuate by the end of the month.

Biden promised at the end of his remarks that Secretary of State Antony Blinken would provide a full account on Wednesday of “how many Americans are still in Afghanistan, how many we are out of it and what our projection is.”

The State Department and the Pentagon had deleted briefings scheduled for Tuesday afternoon to make way for the president’s remarks, which were originally scheduled for noon, then pushed back to 2 p.m., then 4:30 p.m., and were delivered shortly thereafter. 17 hours.

Afghans gather near a departure gate at Kabul airport. ZUMAPRESS.com

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