U.S. Troops Continue Evacuations in Afghanistan

The Biden administration is facing several questions regarding the successful evacuation of tens of thousands of Americans and vulnerable Afghans ahead of the U.S. military’s August 31st Afghanistan withdrawal date. On Tuesday officials provided details about plans for the evacuations but specifics remain unanswered including how many Americans are still in Afghanistan, how many Afghans the U.S. military believes can evacuate and whether the plan will be extended beyond the deadline. National Security Adviser Jake Sullivan said that the U.S. in relying on a commitment from the Taliban to allow for safe passage to the airport in Kabul, though it’s unclear if the Taliban will allow Americans to do so.

Pentagon Press Secretary John Kirby would not say if the U.S. military was prepared to ‘go out into the countryside’ and aid those in Kabul and  U.S. officials gave differing answers about how many Americans remain in the country. Kirby said it was 5,000 to 10,000 and White House Press Secretary Jen Psaki said it was in fact 11,000. But, congressional aids were told by state department and Pentagon officials the numbers were actually between 10,000 and 15,000.