President Joe Biden told G7 leaders Tuesday that the United States was “on pace” to complete its pullout from Afghanistan by August 31 but contingency plans were being drawn up in case the self-imposed deadline could not be met.
The White House said Biden also told Group of Seven leaders in a conference call that completing the US troop withdrawal from Afghanistan by the end of the month depends on “continued coordination” with the Taliban and access for evacuees to Kabul airport.
The United States has evacuated around 58,000 people, including more than 4,000 Americans, from Afghanistan since August 14, the day before the Taliban entered Kabul and took power, according to US officials.
Several thousand other people have been evacuated by allied European nations such as Germany and the United Kingdom.
The Taliban urged skilled Afghans not to flee the country on Tuesday and warned the United States and its NATO allies that they would not accept an extension to the evacuation deadline.
A spokesman for the Taliban told America to stop taking “Afghan experts,” such as engineers and doctors, out of the country.
“This country needs their expertise. They should not be taken to other countries,” Taliban spokesman Zabihullah Mujahid told a press conference in the capital.
“They should not encourage the Afghan people to flee Afghanistan.”
White House spokeswoman Jen Psaki said Biden had told G7 leaders that the US mission in Kabul “will end based on the achievement of our objectives.”
“He confirmed we are currently on pace to finish by August 31,” Psaki told reporters.
“He also made clear that with each day of operations on the ground, we have added risk to our troops with increasing threats from ISIS-K,” she said, adding that “completion of the mission by August 31 depends on continued coordination with the Taliban, including continued access for evacuees to the airport.”
“The president has asked the Pentagon and the State Department for contingency plans to adjust the timeline should that become necessary,” the White House spokeswoman said.
European nations have said they would not be able to airlift all at-risk Afghans before the August 31 cut-off, and Biden has faced calls from all corners to extend the evacuation window.
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