A 13th U.S. service member was killed in attacks at the Kabul airport Thursday, U.S. officials confirmed.
"The latest number of injured is now 18, all of whom are in the process of being aeromedically evacuated from Afghanistan on specially equipped C-17s with embarked surgical units," Navy Capt. Bill Urban, a spokesperson for U.S. Central Command.
— Tom Vanden Brook
Evacuation flights resume in Kabul after deadly bombings
Evacuation flights from Afghanistan resumed with new urgency on Friday, a day after two suicide bombings targeted the thousands of desperate people fleeing the Taliban takeover.
The U.S. says further attempted attacks are expected ahead of the Tuesday deadline for foreign troops to leave, ending America’s longest war.
Kabul residents said several flights took off Friday morning.
— Associated Press
VP Harris cancels appearance at planned Newsom rally after attacks
Vice President Kamala Harris is heading back to Washington, D.C., instead of attending a planned rally in support of California Gov. Gavin Newsom, who is facing a recall election.
The rally was scheduled for Friday in the Bay Area. Harris spent the last week traveling Southeast Asia to strengthen U.S. relations with Vietnam and Singapore.
"Doug and I grieve for the Americans we lost, we pray for the Americans injured in the attack, and our hearts go out to their loved ones. We also grieve for the Afghan civilians killed and injured," Harris said in a statement Thursday.
— Jeanine Santucci
3 California families stranded in Afghanistan evacuated to safety, officials say
Three families from a school district near San Diego, California, who were stranded in Afghanistan after traveling there to visit family over the summer have been evacuated to safety, officials said Thursday. Five other families are still trying to leave.
There were previously 24 students and 16 parents, among about 1,000 Americans still stuck in Afghanistan amid a desperate surge to escape the country since the Taliban took control.
Learn more here:'Forget what they’ve seen': 3 California families stranded in Afghanistan evacuated to safety, officials say
— Jeanine Santucci
Kabul bomb attack leaves some veterans reeling
Marine Corps Gunnery Sgt. Alan Mcalister, who deployed to Afghanistan in 2010 as a squad leader, said he hadn't heard from one of his best friends serving in Kabul since early Thursday.
“We are used to being the ones in combat (while) our family members are back waiting,” Mcalister said. “Now we are getting a taste of what it's like to sit and wait for information to come in, and it's a whole different fear."
Read the rest here:Kabul bomb attack that killed US troops amid Afghanistan evacuation leaves some veterans reeling
— Dennis Wagner, Donovan Slack and Calvin Shomaker
Pelosi orders flags at half-staff
House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, D-Calif., has ordered the flags at the U.S. Capitol to be flown at half-staff in honor of the U.S. service members and others killed in the attack in Afghanistan.
The speaker’s office said she had ordered the flags lowered Thursday after the bombings outside the Kabul airport in Afghanistan.
The toll of service members who died has risen rose to 13, according to Capt. Bill Urban, spokesman at Central Command. The latest number of injured is now 18, all of whom were in the process of being evacuated from Afghanistan on specially equipped C-17s with surgical units.
— The Associated Press
'Our hearts ache': Biden addresses nation
President Joe Biden began his remarks Thursday evening on the terrorist attack Hamid Karzai International Airport saying, “It’s been a tough day,” and calling the 12 U.S. service members who were killed “heroes.”
He said the attack reflected the warnings about an ISIS-K attack that he gave in recent days.
“The situation on the ground is still evolving, and I’m constantly being updated,” Biden said.
He called the American service members killed “heroes who were engaged in the dangerous selfless mission to save the lives of others.”
“Jill and I, our hearts ache, like I’m sure yours do as well.”
— Joey Garrison
Taliban not 'friends' to United States, Psaki says
White House Press Secretary Jen Psaki said that the United States does not trust the Taliban despite working with them to help evacuate U.S. citizens and allies out of Afghanistan.
Psaki was asked how the United States can continue to work with the Taliban after a bomber got through Taliban security.
“I'm not trying to sugarcoat what we think of the Taliban,” Psaki responded. “They're not a group we trust. They are not our friends, we have never said that.”
Psaki, however, noted that the United States must continue to work with the Taliban due to the control they have in the country.
“It is also the reality that the Taliban controls large swathes of Afghanistan,” she said. “And to date, because of coordination with the Taliban, we've been able to evacuate more than 104,000 people, save 104,000 lives, and that coordination is necessary in order to continue our evacuation measures.”
— Rebecca Morin
White House to GOP senators calling for Biden resignation: ‘It’s not a day for politics’
Psaki said the terrorist attack at the Kabul airport is “not a day for politics” when asked about calls for Biden to resign from two Republican U.S. senators, Marsha Blackburn of Tennessee, and Josh Hawley of Missouri.
“This is a day where US service members, 12 of them, lost their lives at the hands of terrorists. It’s not a day for politics,” Psaki said.
“And we would expect that any American -- whether they're elected or not -- would stand with us and our commitment to going after and fighting and killing those terrorists."
— Joey Garrison
Psaki: Some Americans not ready to leave yet
There are some Americans who have not decided to leave by the Aug. 31 deadline to withdraw all U.S. troops, according to Psaki.
Psaki said "many of these Americans who remain are dual citizens" who may have extended family members or others they want to bring with them back to the U.S.
"Our commitment to them does not end," she said. "We will continue to work to get them out."
But she added the focus now is getting every American out who wants to leave in the next few days.
— Courtney Subramanian
Biden ‘somber and outraged’ by terrorist attacks
Psaki said Biden was “somber and outraged” Thursday as the terrorist attack unfolded at the Kabul airport.
Biden waited until 5 p.m. ET. to address attacks that occurred hours earlier because, Psaki said, he wanted to have all the information before he spoke to the public.
“Any day where you lose service members is maybe the worst day of your presidency, and hopefully there's not more. But we are certainly early in the presidency at this point in time.”
— Joey Garrison
White House says Taliban did not know about terrorist attack beforehand
Psaki said there is no information to suggest the Taliban knew about the ISIS-K terrorist attack at the Kabul airport ahead of time.
“We don't have any information at this point in time – and that has not changed over the last couple of hours – to suggest the Taliban had knowledge of or was engaged in or involved in this attack.”
Psaki said the Taliban are “not our friends,” but said it is a reality that they occupy Afghanistan. As a result, she said the U.S. has tried to work with the Taliban government to ensure the evacuation of Americans and Afghan allies.
“This is not about trust. But because they control large swaths of the country ... we have to coordinate with them.”
— Joey Garrison
Psaki: Biden has yet to call families of victims
Psaki said the president is waiting for the Pentagon to complete its process of calling next of kin for victims of the Kabul attacks before he makes phone calls to their families.
Psaki said the process is still underway but added that he would do everything he can to honor the sacrifice and service of those who lost their lives today.
— Courtney Subramanian
Biden signals he's open to sending in more forces to Afghanistan
Biden said he's willing to send in additional forces but suggested his commanders were behind his plan to withdraw all troops from Afghanistan by the Aug. 31 deadline he set.
"I've instructed the military, whatever they need – if they need additional force – I will grant it," Biden said.
The president said he ordered his commanders to "to develop operational plans to strike Isis key assets, leadership, and facilities."
"We will respond with force and precision at our time at a place we choose in a moment of our choosing," he said.
Biden emphasized that Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff Mark Milley and the commanders in the field have communicated that they prefer to stick to the mission, which is designed to get as many people out before the end of the month.
White House press secretary Jen Psaki later said any additional troops would be minimal.
“What we're talking about here is avenging these deaths from terrorists,” Psaki said. “We're not talking about sending tens of thousands of troops back for an endless war that we've been fighting for 20 years.”
— Courtney Subramanian and Joey Garrs
Biden to attackers: We will hunt you down
Biden said he was made aware by the U.S. intelligence community that ISIS-K had been planning "a complex set of attacks" against U.S. personnel and others.
After offering his condolences to the families of the victims of the explosions outside Kabul's airport, he delivered a stern warning for those who carried out the attack.
"To those who carried out this attack, as well as anyone who wishes America harm, know this: We will not forgive. We will not forget," he said. "We will hunt you down and make you pay."
— Courtney Subramanian
Biden bears ‘responsibility’ for Afghanistan attacks
Biden says he bears the “responsibility” for the attacks outside of the Kabul airport that killed 12 U.S. service members and wounded others, the first casualties in Afghanistan since Feb. 2020.
"I bear the responsibility, fundamentally, of everything that's happened of late,” Biden said.
Biden noted that former President Donald Trump made a deal with the Taliban that if the United States got out service members by May 1 of this year, the Taliban would not attack U.S. troops.
“The reason why there were no attacks on Americans as you said, from the date until I came in office was because the commitment was made by President Trump, ‘I will be out by May 1, in the meantime, you agree not to attack any Americans.’ That was a deal. That's why no American was attacked.”
— Rebecca Morin
Biden defends Afghanistan withdrawal after Kabul terrorist attack
Biden said he stands by the decision to pull the military out of Afghanistan after 20 years of occupation in the country even after the deadly Kabul airport terrorist attack.
“Yes, I do.” Biden said in response to a question from a reporter.
Biden said the alternative would have been to send thousands of more troops back into Afghanistan if he did not uphold his predecessor Donald Trump’s agreement to withdraw. He also said the threat of terrorism – the original purpose behind the 2001 invasion of Afghanistan – has now “metastasized around the world.”
“I have never been of the view that we should be sacrificing American lives, to try to establish a democratic government in Afghanistan, a country that has never once in its entire history been a united country,” Biden said.
“Ladies and gentlemen, it was time to end a 20-year war.”
— Joey Garrison
Biden confirms U.S. told Taliban to let certain evacuees through
Biden confirmed that on occasion, U.S. officials in Kabul told their Taliban counterparts to let certain groups of evacuees through security checkpoints but said he couldn't say whether there were any lists identifying individuals that were handed over.
Politico earlier reported that U.S. officials gave the Taliban a list of names of American citizens, green card holders and Afghans who were granted access to the Kabul airport in order to expedite the process. The move reportedly prompted backlash among lawmakers and military officials who said the decision put a target on those individuals' backs.
"To the best of my knowledge, in those cases, the bulk of that has occurred, they've been let through," he said. "But I can't tell you with any certitude that there's actually been a list of names...there may have been, but I know of no circumstances."
Biden added that "it could very well have happened."
— Courtney Subramanian
Biden won't guarantee all Afghan allies will get out of Afghanistan
Biden said the U.S. will work to continue to evacuate Afghan allies out of Afghanistan, saying “it matters.”
But he said he knows of “no conflict” where one side was able to guarantee everyone is able to leave.
“Getting every single person out can't be guaranteed,” Biden said.
— Joey Garrison
Biden says U.S. will complete evacuation mission
Biden said that he has ordered officials to complete the mission to evacuate Afghanistan by their Aug. 31 deadline.
“We must complete this mission and we will,” Biden said.
He said that the United States “will not be deterred” by Thursday’s attacks outside the Kabul airport will not deter the mission.
“America will not be intimidated,” he said. “I have the utmost confidence in our brave service members that they’ll continue to execute this mission with courage and honor to save lives and get Americans, our partners, our Afghan allies out of Afghanistan.”
— Rebecca Morin
Biden leads moment of silence, vows to evacuate Americans who want out
Biden finished his prepared remarks by leading a moment of silence for the U.S. service members killed in the Kabul airport terrorist attacks and vowing the U.S. will ensure the evacuation of all Americans who want to leave the country.
“After our troops are withdrawn,” Biden said, the U.S. will “find means to find any American who wishes to get out of Afghanistan.”
Biden has stuck to a Aug. 31 deadline to withdraw from Afghanistan, but the administration has said it will continue to work to evacuate people even after the exit.
— Joey Garrison
12 U.S. service members killed at Kabul airport; 60 Afghans killed
Twelve U.S. service members were killed Thursday at the Kabul airport after a pair of bombings and a gun attack from the terrorist organization ISIS-K, the Pentagon said at a news conference Thursday afternoon.
The Associated Press reported those killed included 11 Marines and one Navy corpsman.
Gen. Kenneth McKenzie said 15 additional U.S. service members were injured and a “number of Afghan civilians” were also killed or injured. The attacks also killed 60 Afghans.
McKenzie said the bombing on the Abbey Gate at the Kabul airport was followed by “a number of ISIS-gunmen” opening fire on civilians and military forces. He said a second bombing later occurred at the nearby Baron Hotel outside the airport but could not say whether it was a suicide bomb.
A pair of explosions rocked the Hamid Karzai International Airport in Kabul as the U.S. worked to rapidly evacuate American and Afghan civilians before the Aug. 31 U.S. withdrawal from Afghanistan.
The explosions came after repeated warnings from President Joe Biden about the threat of ISIS-K terrorist attacks as the withdrawal deadline drew nearer. Biden has yet to address the attacks.
“We thought this would happen sooner or later,” McKenzie said. “It’s tragic that it happened today.”
— Joey Garrison
Pelosi: Marine deaths show why lawmaker trips imperil evacuation
House Speaker Nancy Pelosi said the “heartbreak” over the deaths of 12 service members at the Kabul airport is further proof that members of Congress should not be making unauthorized trips to the war-torn nation because it “would unnecessarily divert needed resources” from the mission to evacuate remaining Americans.
“It should be clear that any Member presence presents a danger and an opportunity cost of resources, regardless of whatever value that Members consider they may add by such trips,” the California Democrat wrote in a letter to lawmakers that was released Thursday afternoon.
Her warning came a day after two lawmakers - Rep. Seth Moulton, D-Mass., and Rep. Peter Meijer, R-Mich. - flew into Afghanistan without military or legislative authority on a chartered aircraft and were on the ground at the Kabul airport for several hours.
“As Members of Congress, we have a duty to provide oversight on the executive branch,’” the two said in a joint statement following their return Wednesday. “We conducted this visit in secret, speaking about it only after our departure, to minimize the risk and disruption to the people on the ground, and because we were there to gather information, not to grandstand.”
— Ledyard King
U.S. in contact with 1,000 Americans still in Afghanistan after evacuating 500 more
The U.S. is in contact with 1,000 Americans who remain in Afghanistan and have heard from 500 additional people “purporting to be Americans in Afghanistan who want to leave,” according to a State Department official.
The number of remaining Americans is down from 1,500 who were there as of Wednesday night Eastern time. The State Department said 500 were evacuated in the past 24 hours. The official said the vast majority – perhaps two-thirds – of the remaining 1,000 American citizens said they were taking steps to leave.
"We believe many, if not most, of these individuals are nearly or already out of the country."
U.S. officials believe many of the additional 500 people who claimed to be American citizens are not.
“We immediately began attempting to reach these individuals by phone, text, and email. Based on our experience, many of these will not turn out to be U.S. citizens in need of our assistance,” the official said.
The Pentagon said it is continuing its missions to evacuate Americans from Afghanistan even after a pair of bombings and gun attack killed at least 12 U.S. service members at the Kabul airport Thursday.
— Joey Garrison
Pentagon: U.S. expects attacks to continue and 'prepared to take action'
The threat from ISIS-K is "extremely real" and officials have been telegraphing warnings of attacks for several days, Marine Corps Gen. Kenneth McKenzie Jr., commander of U.S. Central command, told reporters Thursday.
He said threat streams are "imminent" and range from rocket attacks to vehicle-borne suicide attacks. U.S. officials are working with the Taliban, who are providing outer security outside the airport compound, to monitor possible attacks.
"We believe that is their desire to continue those attacks and we expect those attacks to continue, and we're doing everything we can to be prepared for those attacks," McKenzie said.
McKenzie also said the U.S. is prepared to take action over the deaths of U.S. service members but officials are still working to determine who's behind the attack.
"If we can find who's associated with this, we will go after them," he said. "We've been clear all along that we're going to retain the right to operate against ISIS in Afghanistan, and we are working very hard right now to determine attribution."
— Courtney Subramanian
Official: Suicide bomber was being checked by service members
Marine Corps Gen. Kenneth McKenzie Jr. said he believes the suicide bomber at the Kabul airport Thursday was being searched and checked by U.S. service members at the airport’s Abbey gate when he detonated the bomb.
“I know this, he did not get inside,” McKenzie said.
— Joey Garrison
Taliban thwarted attacks on U.S. service members, officials said
McKenzie, during his briefing, alluded to a variety of imminent threats of concern to the U.S. presence at the Kabul airport, including intelligence indicating that a vehicle-borne IED – a truck bomb – could be imminent. It was also one of the threats that the U.S. military was working closely with the Taliban on, to help prevent future attacks.
McKenzie described “very, very real threat streams” that suggested an attack could occur at any moment. He said the airbase had good defenses against suspected rocket attacks that ISIS-K might be planning. ‘We also know they aim to get a suicide or vehicle-borne suicide attack in if they can, from a small vehicle to a large vehicle,” McKenzie said. “They're working all those options.”
Some potential attacks on United States service members were thwarted, based on information provided by the U.S, by the Taliban, he said.
“So in terms of practical things that we're doing, okay, again, we've reached out to the Taliban, we've told them, ‘You need to continue to push out the security parameter,’ “ McKenzie said. “We've identified some roads that we would like for them to close, they've identified that they will be willing to close those roads.”
“As we assess the threat of a suicide borne vehicle threat, it's high right now. So we want to reduce the possibility of one of those vehicles getting close,” McKenzie added. So, with the Taliban’s help, “we're actually moving very aggressively to do that.”
Although the U.S. does not give the Taliban a full range of information, they are given “enough to act and time and space to try to prevent these attacks,” McKenzie said.
— Rebecca Morin and Josh Meyer
Evacuations at Kabul airport continue
Marine Corps Gen. Kenneth McKenzie Jr., commander of U.S. Central command, said evacuations would continue as the U.S. prepares to withdraw from Afghanistan by Aug. 31. He said about 1,000 American citizens remain in Afghanistan at this point.
"Despite this attack, we're continuing the mission, the evacuation of this state,” he said. “While we’re saddened by the loss of life, both U.S. and Afghan, we’re continuing to execute the mission.”
— Joey Garrison and Tom Vandenbrook
Taliban ‘strongly condemns’ bombing, says US was responsible for security
The Taliban government in Afghanistan said it “strongly condemns” the bombing outside the Kabul airport and said the attack occurred in an area where the U.S. is responsible for security.
The attack was believed to have been orchestrated by the ISIS-K terrorist network, an enemy of the Taliban.
“The Islamic Emirate strongly condemns the bombing of civilians at Kabul airport, which took place in an area where US forces are responsible for security,” Shaheen said in a tweet. “The Islamic Emirate is paying close attention to the security and protection of its people, and evil circles will be strictly stopped."
The Pentagon confirmed the attack resulted in “a number of U.S. and civilian casualties.”
— Joey Garrison
Germany has ended evacuation mission in Afghanistan
BERLIN — The German defense minister says her country has ended its evacuation mission in Afghanistan.
Defense Minister Annegret Kramp-Karrenbauer said the last of the German military aircraft and troops arrived in Tashkent, Uzbekistan on Thursday evening. She said that, in all, Germany evacuated 5,347 people from at least 45 nations, including more than 4,000 Afghans.
Germany hadn’t publicly specified ahead of time when exactly its flights would end but other European nations also have been wrapping up their evacuation efforts ahead of an Aug. 31 deadline for the withdrawal of U.S. troops.
Kramp-Karrenbauer said the last flights had been loading at the time of Thursday’s attacks just outside the airport and the German commander then set in motion plans for an “emergency departure.”
She added that “the attacks we saw this afternoon … have made clear that an extension of the operation in Kabul was not possible. The security situation on the ground, and also the Taliban’s decision not to tolerate an extension beyond Aug. 31, made it impossible.”
— Associated Press
Biden's Israeli PM meeting delayed a day after Kabul attack
President Joe Biden's first face-to-face meeting with Israeli Prime Minister Naftali Bennett at the White House was postponed until Friday following a pair of deadly explosions outside Kabul's airport that killed an unspecified number of U.S. service members.
The president's meeting with Bennett, who took office in June, was originally scheduled for Thursday afternoon before it was delayed as Biden met with his national security team in the Situation Room on developments in Afghanistan. Among those who attended included Secretary Antony Blinken, Secretary Lloyd Austin, Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff Mark Milley and commanders on the ground, according to the White House.
Vice President Kamala Harris, who is traveling from Southeast Asia, also attended the meeting, according to her office.
The president's virtual meeting with a bipartisan group of governors who offered to temporarily house or help resettle Afghans has also been canceled, according to the White House.
— Courtney Subramanian
Intelligence official: U.S. operating under assumption that attacks were ISIS-K
U.S. intelligence officials had no comment Thursday on what kinds of specific information they obtained that led to the urgent warnings for U.S. citizens to evacuate the airport before the attacks. But one senior staffer on the Senate Intelligence committee told USA TODAY that the threat stream flowing into the CIA and other intelligence agencies "was pretty much flashing red for 3 days."
U.S. intelligence officials are operating under the assumption that the attacks at Kabul airport Thursday were carried out by ISIS-K, given their motive and general threat intelligence received in recent weeks and days.
A senior U.S. intelligence official, who spoke on the condition of anonymity, said the intelligence community has made no specific or formal attribution that the attacks were ISIS-K, noting "it's certainly something that they would gain a lot from from doing."
“This is a perfect opportunity for them to stick it to the Taliban, stick it to us and gain a national stage to show that they're there, as terrorist groups will want to do,” the official noted.
The official also said he could not discuss the particulars of the intelligence that led the Biden administration to urge Americans to evacuate the airport, but said those warnings from the State Department and White House were prompted by recently gathered information provided by the CIA and other U.S. intelligence agencies.
— Josh Meyer
Hospital in Kabul reports 30 wounded people in treatment; six dead upon arrival
An emergency hospital in Kabul says 30 people wounded in two explosions near Kabul’s international airport arrived for treatment on Thursday, according to the Wall Street Journal and TOLO News, an Afghan broadcaster.
Of those taken by the hospital, six were dead on arrival. The Pentagon earlier confirmed “a number of U.S. and civilian casualties” as a result of the two explosions.
— Matthew Brown
More:Thousands of Afghans are looking for refuge in the U.S. But the immigration process isn't simple.
Pentagon confirms 'unknown number of casualties' after Kabul airport explosion
Pentagon press Secretary John Kirby confirmed there was “an unknown number of casualties” resulting from an explosion at the Abbey Gate of Kabul’s international airport Thursday.
All gates at Hamid Karzai International Airport have since been shut down, according to a Department of Defense official.
— Matthew Brown and Tom Vandenbrook
Defense officials have been alarmed by threats from ISIS-K group
Defense officials have been alarmed in recent days by threats at Hamid Karzai International Airport by ISIS-K, terrorists who are sworn enemies of the Taliban. One official deemed the threat from a suicide bomber from ISIS-K to be the chief concern for Afghans and U.S. citizens crowding the gates to the airport, and U.S. troops guarding it.
ISIS-K is an offshoot of the Islamic State terrorists who established a sprawling caliphate in Iraq and Syria that was eventually destroyed by a U.S.-led bombing campaign. The K stands for Khorasan, the group's offshoot in Afghanistan and Pakistan. They have mounted savage attacks in Kabul, targeting a girls' school and maternity hospital.
— Tom Vandenbrook
Embassy warns U.S. citizens to avoid Kabul airport after explosion
The U.S. Embassy in Kabul is warning U.S. citizens to avoid Hamid Karzai International Airport in Kabul after a large explosion and reports of gunfire.
The embassy issued an alert on Thursday morning telling U.S. citizens who are at the airport’s three gates to leave immediately. Those that aren’t there should avoid traveling to the airport, according to the alert.
— Rick Rouan
Explosion leaves chaotic, bloody scene outside airport in Kabul
The explosion outside the gates of Kabul’s international airport Thursday, where U.S. and allied force evacuations are taking place, left a chaotic and bloody scene, according to reports on the ground.
1TV, an Afghan news station, published photos of the immediate aftermath of the blast showing people fleeing the scene.
Images from reporters inside the airport showed a large dust cloud envelope the side of the airport as an explosion scattered crowds of people.
— Matthew Brown
President Biden briefed on explosion outside Kabul airport
President Joe Biden has been briefed on Thursday’s explosion outside the Hamid Karzai International Airport in Kabul, the White House confirmed.
Details are still emerging about the explosion, which the Pentagon announced Thursday morning amid warnings about the threat of an ISIS-K terrorist attack at the airport.
— Joey Garrison
Explosion reported outside Kabul airport
An explosion was reported on the outskirts of Hamid Karzai International Airport Thursday after reports of gunfire.
Pentagon press secretary John Kirby confirmed that there was an explosion at the airport. The number of casualties was unconfirmed in the immediate aftermath.
The Pentagon did not say who was behind the explosion, but it comes after the State Department on Wednesday night alerted Americans at gates of the chaotic Kabul airport to "leave immediately."
The Biden administration has increasingly warned about the threat of an ISIS-K terrorist attack at the Kabul airport as the Aug. 31 U.S. deadline to withdraw draws near.
— Matthew Brown and Joey Garrison
Allied nations wind down evacuations ahead of U.S. withdrawal
Allied nations who are evacuating refugees and their own citizens out of the international airport in Kabul are warning that they won’t be able to continue operations as U.S. military forces begin their final drawdown from the country.
Canada, which evacuated around 3,700 people, has ended military flights from Kabul, according to the Associated Press. Italy, the Netherlands and Poland will all conduct their final evacuation flights Thursday, the Wall Street Journal reported. French officials have said they will no longer be able to operate out of the country after Friday, the newspaper reported. The United Kingdom’s defense minister, Ben Wallace, said Thursday the U.K. military has 11 flights scheduled to leave Kabul today but declined to say if those would be the country’s last, per the Guardian.
A spokesperson for the European Union foreign affairs commission said the bloc “will be on the ground as long as necessary in order to complete the evacuation operations.”
Close U.S. allies, including the leaders of influential G7 nations like Canada, France, Germany and the United Kingdom, pressed President Joe Biden to delay the date for U.S. troop withdrawal. While each country operating evacuations at the Kabul airport haves some military presence, the 6,000 American troops on the ground currently make up the bulk of allied defense and operations.
The withdrawal comes as the U.S. Embassy in Kabul issued a warning late Wednesday night that Americans should avoid traveling to the airport unless directly contacted by a U.S. official, citing a heightened terror threat. Australia and the U.K. have also issued warnings of a “high threat” of a terrorist attack on the airport, according to The Washington Post.
— Matthew Brown
Afghan evacuees face challenges of life in a new country
WASHINGTON – Thousands of Afghans who helped aid the U.S. military or are vulnerable in Taliban-controlled Afghanistan are arriving in the United States, where they are staying in military bases, at convention centers and even some community colleges as they await their next move.
But as they prepare to rebuild their lives in a foreign country, Afghans face a two-pronged issue: Trying to get out of their native country safely and then completely restarting their lives in a new home where they likely have few personal connections.
The process to get Afghan nationals out of the country has been riddled with setbacks and issues for many, from unfinished applicant paperwork to the Taliban blocking vulnerable Afghans from getting to the Kabul airport. Once they arrive in the U.S., nonprofit groups and non-governmental organizations are working feverishly to get Afghans placed in a community so they could rebuild their life.
'Infuriating':Florida veteran is still working to bring Afghan translator home to the U.S.
The Biden administration has an Aug. 31 deadline to evacuate U.S. citizens and others who qualify for U.S. protection, which President Joe Biden said the United States is on track to meet. Since Aug. 14, the United States has evacuated or helped facilitate the evacuation of nearly 90,000 people from Afghanistan.
— Rebecca Morin
Read more here:Thousands of Afghans are looking for refuge in the U.S. But the immigration process isn't simple.
Kabul evacuations continue as pullout deadline looms
About 13,400 people were evacuated out of Hamid Karzai International Airport in Kabul on Wednesday, according to the White House, down from the 19,000 people shuttled out of the country the day before.
The U.S. military ushered 5,100 people out on 17 flights while coalition allies used 74 flights to ferry 8,300 people out of the country.
The total number of evacuated people from Afghanistan since Afghanistan’s capitol city fell to the Taliban is now 95,700. The largest airlift in history was during the fall of Saigon, when 131,000 people were evacuated.
Neither the White House nor the Pentagon are currently breaking down the number of Americans, third party nationals or Afghans within the number of evacuated people.
The dip in the day-over-day number of people evacuated comes as the U.S. faces a looming deadline to fully withdraw U.S. troops from the country by Aug. 31. President Joe Biden determined that U.S. troops would withdraw from the country by that date in the spring, a commitment that the Taliban has now set as a red line.
More:Thousands of Afghans are looking for refuge in the U.S. But the immigration process isn't simple.
On Wednesday, Secretary of State Antony Blinken said there were still approximately 1,500 possible American citizens in Afghanistan. The State Department is in contact with 500 of those Americans and is “aggressively” attempting to reach the others, Blinken added.
While both Biden and Blinken have said the U.S. is “on track to complete our mission” in Afghanistan by the Aug. 31 pullout deadline, Blinken stressed Tuesday that there was “no deadline” for getting Americans out of the country.
"Let me be crystal clear about this,” Blinken said during a press briefing. “There is no deadline on our work to help any remaining American citizens who decide they want to leave to do so, along with the many Afghans who have stood by us over these many years and want to leave and have been unable to do so. That effort will continue every day past Aug. 31.”
The State Department and Pentagon say that the Taliban is currently providing safe passage to Americans en route to the Kabul airport. Yet reports on the ground of violence and chaos at the airport persist while Taliban fighters continue to harass and stop Afghans attempting to flee the country.
— Matthew Brown
Few leave after warning of attack on Kabul airport
KABUL, Afghanistan (AP) — Western nations warned Thursday of a possible attack on Kabul’s airport, where thousands have flocked as they try to flee Taliban-controlled Afghanistan in the waning days of a massive airlift. Britain said an attack could come within hours.
Several countries urged people to avoid the airport, where Belgium said there was a threat of a suicide bombing. But with just days left before the evacuation effort ends and American troops withdraw, few appeared to heed the call.
Over the last week, the airport has been the scene of some of the most searing images of the chaotic end of America’s longest war and the Taliban’s takeover, as flight after flight landed to pull out those who fear a return to the militants’ brutal rule.
Already, some countries have ended their evacuations and begun to withdraw their soldiers and diplomats, likely signaling the beginning of the end of one of history’s largest airlifts. The Taliban have so far honored a pledge not to attack Western forces during the evacuation, but insist the foreign troops must be out by America’s self-imposed deadline of Aug. 31.
But overnight, new warnings emerged from Western capitals about a threat from Afghanistan’s Islamic State group affiliate, which likely has seen its ranks boosted by the Taliban’s freeing of prisoners during their blitz across the country.
— Associated Press
