Biden received contingency plans briefing on US withdrawal from Afghanistan
Aug 25, 2021
Washington [US], August 26 (ANI/Sputnik): US President Joe Biden has been briefed earlier in the day on possible contingency plans related to the US withdrawal and evacuation operations in Afghanistan, White House spokeswoman Jen Psaki said on Wednesday.
"We are on track to complete our mission by August 31. Obviously, there are discussions, and the President received a briefing just this morning. As I noted, he asked yesterday for contingency plans and he received a briefing on them this morning," Psaki said during a press briefing.
Psaki explained that Biden requested the contingency plans to include maximum optionality given a number of factors, including the ISIS-K (banned in Russia) threat the need to coordinate with the Taliban (banned in Russia), and about staying in Afghanistan beyond August 31.
The United States is ramping up its withdrawal from Afghanistan from the Kabul airport in an attempt to meet the August 31 deadline it had agreed on with the Taliban (banned in Russia). The Biden administration said on Tuesday that the deadline is contingent upon the Taliban's cooperation with the evacuation operations. (ANI/Sputnik)
