Americans trying to flee Afghanistan were attacked by Taliban fighters, according to many who attended a briefing with Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin and other senior officials on Friday.
Austin's remarks to members of the House of Representatives appear to directly contradict President Joe Biden's assessment minutes earlier, in which Biden said the United States was unaware of the difficulty for Americans to pass Taliban checkpoints and enter Kabul airport - the only variant of the evacuation of the country, not associated with the Taliban.
Austin called the Taliban's beatings "unacceptable" during a briefing, but did not comment on measures taken to ensure the safe arrival of Americans at Hamid Karzai International Airport in Kabul. He refused to "rule out or rule out" the idea of American soldiers moving outside the airport to help Americans and others get to safety.
According to various sources, Austin added to the conversation: "We also know that some people, including Americans, have been harassed and even beaten by the Taliban." "We made it clear to the designated Taliban leader that this was unacceptable," he added.
"Except for these cases," Austin continued, "we still see Americans and Afghans getting certified."
Asked about Austin's comments, Pentagon spokesman John Kirby confirmed that the United States wanted "free travel through these checkpoints for registered Americans," adding: "Overall, it happens ".
"Except for these cases," Austin continued, "we still see Americans and Afghans getting certified."
Asked about Austin's comments, Pentagon spokesman John Kirby confirmed that the United States wanted "free travel through these checkpoints for registered Americans," adding: "Overall, it happens ".
Milli told lawmakers that the military will increase the number of C-17 evacuation flights from Kabul from 12 to more than 30 a day in the coming days, according to sources in the appeal.
Earlier on Friday, Biden first pledged to wipe out any U.S. allies in Afghanistan who wish to leave the country, echoing a promise he had already made to Americans in the country. Austin also said the US military had "absolutely" agreed to evacuate the elite Afghan commandos who, at the briefing, assisted the Americans throughout the war.
Republicans have been the fiercest opponents of Biden's decision to leave the war-torn country, which he announced in April. House Minority Leader Kevin McCarthy called the withdrawal a "huge mistake" during a Friday briefing.
McCarthy lobbied Austin to rebuild Bagram Air Base, which for years has been at the heart of U.S. fighting in Afghanistan, but was closed and abandoned earlier this year as the U.S. accelerated its withdrawal. Compared to Kabul, Bagram has two tracks that can help speed up the evacuation of American and Afghan friends.
“We're going to work hard to evacuate as many people as possible before we have to stop,” Austin added, referring to the August 31 withdrawal deadline. “If you give me more time, I will take it…” It is doubtful that we can do that. "
Biden said if the evacuation was not completed by Aug.31, he would remain with the troops in Afghanistan.
Austin also said the United States was not ruling out the prospect of sending additional troops. Over the past week, thousands of US troops have been sent to Kabul airport to help evacuate and establish a perimeter around the airport.
Earlier this week, Biden said the United States was "examining all possibilities and all means by which we could get them to the airport," despite the Taliban's acknowledged efforts to block the passage safely. It is not known if that would mean sending American troops outside the perimeter of the airport.
While it is not clear whether troops or other military assets will be deployed outside the airport perimeter, Milli told lawmakers that the United States "is pushing and stopping vehicles in and around interstate highways. -States "and widened the perimeter.
Blinken later told lawmakers that a new group of countries had offered to host Afghan evacuees, reducing the backlog that led to a seven-hour halt on flights from Kabul earlier on Friday. Albania, Bulgaria, Canada, Colombia, Costa Rica, Chile, Kosovo, North Macedonia, Mexico, Romania, Qatar, Rwanda, Uganda, Sudan and Ukraine are among the countries concerned.
This is in addition to nearly a dozen other countries that have already started moving Americans and Afghans within their borders, Blinken said. Among them are Bahrain, Germany, Italy, Kazakhstan, Kuwait, Qatar, Spain, Tajikistan, United Arab Emirates and Uzbekistan.
After a shutdown due to delays at Al Udeid Air Base in Qatar, where passengers were flown for processing, flights from Kabul resumed early Friday morning.
Austin's remarks to members of the House of Representatives appear to directly contradict President Joe Biden's assessment minutes earlier, in which Biden said the United States was unaware of the difficulty for Americans to pass Taliban checkpoints and enter Kabul airport - the only variant of the evacuation of the country, not associated with the Taliban.
Austin called the Taliban's beatings "unacceptable" during a briefing, but did not comment on measures taken to ensure the safe arrival of Americans at Hamid Karzai International Airport in Kabul. He refused to "rule out or rule out" the idea of American soldiers moving outside the airport to help Americans and others get to safety.
According to various sources, Austin added to the conversation: "We also know that some people, including Americans, have been harassed and even beaten by the Taliban." "We made it clear to the designated Taliban leader that this was unacceptable," he added.
"Except for these cases," Austin continued, "we still see Americans and Afghans getting certified."
Asked about Austin's comments, Pentagon spokesman John Kirby confirmed that the United States wanted "free travel through these checkpoints for registered Americans," adding: "Overall, it happens ".
"Except for these cases," Austin continued, "we still see Americans and Afghans getting certified."
Asked about Austin's comments, Pentagon spokesman John Kirby confirmed that the United States wanted "free travel through these checkpoints for registered Americans," adding: "Overall, it happens ".
Milli told lawmakers that the military will increase the number of C-17 evacuation flights from Kabul from 12 to more than 30 a day in the coming days, according to sources in the appeal.
Earlier on Friday, Biden first pledged to wipe out any U.S. allies in Afghanistan who wish to leave the country, echoing a promise he had already made to Americans in the country. Austin also said the US military had "absolutely" agreed to evacuate the elite Afghan commandos who, at the briefing, assisted the Americans throughout the war.
Republicans have been the fiercest opponents of Biden's decision to leave the war-torn country, which he announced in April. House Minority Leader Kevin McCarthy called the withdrawal a "huge mistake" during a Friday briefing.
McCarthy lobbied Austin to rebuild Bagram Air Base, which for years has been at the heart of U.S. fighting in Afghanistan, but was closed and abandoned earlier this year as the U.S. accelerated its withdrawal. Compared to Kabul, Bagram has two tracks that can help speed up the evacuation of American and Afghan friends.
“We're going to work hard to evacuate as many people as possible before we have to stop,” Austin added, referring to the August 31 withdrawal deadline. “If you give me more time, I will take it…” It is doubtful that we can do that. "
Biden said if the evacuation was not completed by Aug.31, he would remain with the troops in Afghanistan.
Austin also said the United States was not ruling out the prospect of sending additional troops. Over the past week, thousands of US troops have been sent to Kabul airport to help evacuate and establish a perimeter around the airport.
Earlier this week, Biden said the United States was "examining all possibilities and all means by which we could get them to the airport," despite the Taliban's acknowledged efforts to block the passage safely. It is not known if that would mean sending American troops outside the perimeter of the airport.
While it is not clear whether troops or other military assets will be deployed outside the airport perimeter, Milli told lawmakers that the United States "is pushing and stopping vehicles in and around interstate highways. -States "and widened the perimeter.
Blinken later told lawmakers that a new group of countries had offered to host Afghan evacuees, reducing the backlog that led to a seven-hour halt on flights from Kabul earlier on Friday. Albania, Bulgaria, Canada, Colombia, Costa Rica, Chile, Kosovo, North Macedonia, Mexico, Romania, Qatar, Rwanda, Uganda, Sudan and Ukraine are among the countries concerned.
This is in addition to nearly a dozen other countries that have already started moving Americans and Afghans within their borders, Blinken said. Among them are Bahrain, Germany, Italy, Kazakhstan, Kuwait, Qatar, Spain, Tajikistan, United Arab Emirates and Uzbekistan.
After a shutdown due to delays at Al Udeid Air Base in Qatar, where passengers were flown for processing, flights from Kabul resumed early Friday morning.
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