US 'on pace' to finish Afghanistan withdrawal by Aug 31: Biden told G7 leaders
Aug 24, 2021
Washington [US], August 25 : US President Joe Biden on Tuesday's (local time) made it clear to the G7 leaders that US is "on pace" to finish its withdrawal from Afghanistan by August 31 but with each day of operations on the ground, American troops are facing increasing threats from ISIS-Khorasan, the White House said.
"He [Biden] ... made clear 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," spokeswoman Jen Psaki said in a White House statement.
She further said that during a meeting with the G7 leaders, the President conveyed that the US mission in Kabul will end based on the achievement of the country's objectives.
"He (Biden) confirmed we are 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," she said further in the statement.
Earlier on Tuesday, Biden tweeted that he stands by the commitment to evacuate people and this includes vulnerable Afghans, such as women leaders and journalists after the Taliban's hostile takeover of Afghanistan.
Two days ago, he had informed that he is in discussions with his military officials regarding the extension of the evacuation mission in Afghanistan, beyond the August 31 deadline.
The US is flying thousands of people out of Afghanistan every day from Kabul airport. The US forces took control of the airport last week to evacuate its citizens after the Taliban seized control of Afghanistan.
In total, the White House says US efforts have facilitated the evacuation of approximately 58,700 people since August 14, and 63,900 since the end of July.
Approximately 1,000 Afghans have arrived at Dulles International Airport outside Washington, DC, in the last 24 hours, according to the Pentagon.
