Allies to Press Biden to Extend Afghanistan Aug 31 Deadline to Continue Evacuations

Allies to Press Biden to Extend Afghanistan Aug 31 Deadline to Continue Evacuations
President Joe Biden arrives the South Court Auditorium at the White House complex in Washington, on Aug. 23, 2021. (Drew Angerer/Getty Images)

President Joe Biden is set to be pushed by allies to extend the evacuation operation from Kabul beyond his self-imposed Aug. 31 deadline, amid warnings from the Taliban that doing so would result in “consequences.”

At an emergency virtual G7 meeting of leaders on Afghanistan on Tuesday, the United Kingdom is expected to call on Biden to keep U.S. troops in the country after the end of August to allow evacuation flights out of Kabul’s Hamid Karzai International airport to continue.

The virtual talks come as vulnerable Afghans, who fear a vengeful crackdown by the Taliban terrorist group, and foreigners continue to mass at Kabul’s international airport, hoping to escape the country.

French Foreign Minister Jean-Yves Le Drian also said on Monday that France was “concerned about the deadline set by the United States” as “additional time is needed to complete ongoing operations.”

German Foreign Minister Heiko Maas has said that the virtual meeting must come to an agreement on whether to extend the deadline, and how to improve access to Kabul’s airport.

Marine in Kabul
A Marine with Special Purpose Marine Air-Ground Task Force-Crisis Response-Central Command provides assistance during an evacuation at Hamid Karzai International Airport in Kabul, Afghanistan, on Aug. 22, 2021. (Sgt. Samuel Ruiz/U.S. Marine Corps via AP)

Separately on Monday, House Intelligence Chair Adam Schiff (D-Calif.), told reporters following a briefing on the matter by intelligence officials that he was not confident that the evacuation could be completed before the Aug. 31 deadline.

“I think it’s possible but I think it’s very unlikely given the number of Americans who still need to be evacuated,” Schiff said.

White House national security adviser Jake Sullivan said the United States was in daily talks with the Taliban and is making “enormous progress” in evacuating Americans and others from Kabul.

Sullivan added that Biden remains confident that all Americans can be evacuated from the country before his self-imposed deadline.

“In the days remaining, we believe we have the wherewithal to get out the American citizens who want to leave Kabul,” Sullivan told reporters during a White House press briefing on Monday.

A day earlier, Biden said evacuation efforts have “a long way to go” and that “a lot could still go wrong.”

U.S. Air Force aircrew
U.S. Air Force aircrew, assigned to the 816th Expeditionary Airlift Squadron, assist qualified evacuees boarding a U.S. Air Force C-17 Globemaster III aircraft in support of the Afghanistan evacuation at Hamid Karzai International Airport, Kabul, Afghanistan, on Aug. 21, 2021. (Senior Airman Taylor Crul/U.S. Air Force via AP)

The United States has evacuated more than 37,000 people from Afghanistan since Aug. 14, Sullivan said during a press briefing on Monday.

“In the last 24 hours alone, 28 U.S. military flights have evacuated approximately 10,400 people from Kabul,” the national security adviser said.

Meanwhile, Suhail Shaheen, a Taliban spokesman, warned on Monday that there would be consequences if Biden fails to withdraw all troops by his self-imposed deadline. The terrorist group, which seized control of Kabul on Aug. 15, has not specified what those consequences would be.

Ben Wallace, Britain’s secretary of state, told Sky News that he believes an extension to the Aug. 31 evacuation deadline is “unlikely.”

He said he didn’t think there would be an extension “not only because of what the Taliban has said but also if you look at the public statements of President Biden, I think it is unlikely.”

Wallace added, ”It is definitely worth us all trying and we will.”

The White House didn’t immediately respond to a request for comment by The Epoch Times.

From The Epoch Times

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