According to two US officials, the danger of an Islamic State activist attacking people in Kabul has exacerbated the already chaotic evacuation in Afghanistan.
According to a source, the threat was serious and influenced the planning of the evacuation. Another official said the danger of ISIL-K has always been of concern to commanders and that they are prepared for it.
The main issue that caused the flight delay on Saturday was finding accommodation for the flow of refugees from Kabul, the second official said. The two officials were not allowed to make public statements.
On Saturday, Vice President Kamala Harris, Secretary of State Anthony Blinken, Secretary of Defense Lloyd Austin, Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff General. Mark Milli, National Security Advisor Jake Sullivan and Director of National Intelligence Avril Haynes were briefed on ISIS in Afghanistan during a situation room meeting.
All doors at Kabul airport were closed on Saturday due to service at Al-Udeid Air Base in Qatar, according to a Defense Ministry official who was not allowed to comment publicly.
Most US military evacuation planes fly from Kabul to Qatar, and the latter's inability to serve more evacuees is having an impact.
Despite the volatile and dynamic situation at Kabul airport, Pentagon officials said on Saturday they were continuing to deal with evacuees from Afghanistan.
Army Major. General William Taylor, deputy director of the Joint Regional Operations Headquarters, said: “The airport is safe. "At this time, nothing is known about the change in enemy position in and around the airport."
The current situation in Afghanistan in figures
Particularities:
There are 5,800 American soldiers in Afghanistan.
Over the past week, 17,000 people have been evacuated.
They were 3,800 in the last 24 hours.
According to Taylor, on the eve of Kabul, he left six C-17 military transports and 32 charter planes, which carried around 3,800 people. He said the C-17s are moving evacuees between Qatar and Germany to make way for intermediate landing sites. Three flights arrived in Dulles on the last day, Taylor said, and the Afghans will be picked up at Fort Bliss.
Nearly 22,000 people have been evacuated since July and 17,000 since Aug. 14, including 2,500 Americans, Taylor said.
The 82nd Airborne Division secures the airstrip at Kabul International Airport, the army's 10th Mountain Rifle Division is on duty at the airport, and the 24th Marine Expeditionary Division is facilitating the departure of civilians.
The United States Embassy in Afghanistan has issued a warning to Americans in the country.
Americans planning to go to Kabul airport for evacuation received various instructions from US military and diplomatic officials on Saturday.
Due to potential security threats outside the airport gates, the US Embassy in Kabul on Saturday issued a warning to Americans, advising them not to go there without "individual instructions from an official. of the US government ".
How can you help Afghan civilians threatened by Taliban violence?
However, Pentagon officials said they continue to process U.S. residents and those with proper documentation through airport gates.
“We continue to treat Americans as they walk through the door and transport them to safety,” Taylor added. “I never said you had to come. I meant that our armed personnel at the gate are able to take charge of people arriving at the gate. "
The management of the embassy has been described by Pentagon spokesman John Kirby as "reasonable notice to ensure that any movement there is as safe as possible."
He did not go into details on security issues, pointing out that the situation is constantly changing.
He noted: “I will not go into specific threat assessments. “It's incredibly fluid and dynamic,” says the narrator.
"Completely insufficient," said the chairman of the Democratic Committee, which wants to study the evacuation measures.
The chairman of the Democratic Party's House Armed Services Committee has joined calls for an investigation into what went wrong with the US withdrawal from Afghanistan.
Representative Adam Smith, Washington, said in a statement Friday night that the plan for evacuating civilians was "completely inadequate." "We need to understand why it has happened this way in the months to come and make sure it does not happen again."
Smith also said the intelligence used to guide the evacuation should be reviewed to see if it "provides any clarification as to how quickly the Taliban will approach and what our response should look like," Smith said.
The Senate Intelligence Committee is coordinating a series of hearings scheduled to investigate actions taken by the White House, Pentagon, State Department and intelligence agencies in collaboration with Democrats and Republicans on foreign relations and military commissions.
However, Smith, like Biden, stressed that the immediate priority should be the safe evacuation of Americans and friends from Afghanistan as soon as possible.
Biden is still hoping for full retirement by August 31.
The warning about the chaotic situation at the airport, where thousands of passengers await departure, came a day after President Joe Biden said he had no problem getting to downtown Kabul at the airport.
"We have no evidence that they couldn't get through Kabul airport," Biden said on Friday.
Biden said on Friday that the administration still hopes to complete the pullout on time, but that it will continue until all Americans are gone. He also said Afghans who were helping US forces would be evacuated.
Kirby declined to speculate that the window of opportunity was narrowing, but recognized the need for urgency.
He remarked, “I think we were pretty honest in saying that we are fighting both in time and in space. "Right now, this is the race we are in."
Kirby said the military maintains regular contact with Taliban leadership in Kabul.
He noted: “We have a whole host of security issues.
Biden said the intelligence community expected the Taliban to seize power in the country, but seriously underestimated the willingness of the Afghan government and security forces to surrender.
"The general consensus is that they will collapse and fall in 11 days and the Afghan commander will leave the country," Biden said on Friday. " I decided. I am in charge. I agreed with the majority opinion. "
According to a Pentagon spokesperson, Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin has not considered the possibility of a resignation over Afghanistan and fully supports President Joe Biden's decision to withdraw his troops.
Asked about Austin's request not to withdraw his troops during the briefing, Kirby said the secretary was confident his point of view had been heard during the debate.
Kirby added, "He had the opportunity to give his best advice and advice." "It was a collaborative and thoughtful process."
Austin was ready to follow the instructions of his commander-in-chief after Biden made his decision in April.
Kirby said: "He fully supports this choice." "He was very candid about it."
Biden is on the phone with other countries.
As analysts fear events in Afghanistan could damage Biden's relations with his foreign allies, the president on Friday called on the leaders of Qatar and Italy to express their gratitude for their assistance in the evacuation of American citizens and vulnerable Afghan refugees from Afghanistan.
According to a source, the threat was serious and influenced the planning of the evacuation. Another official said the danger of ISIL-K has always been of concern to commanders and that they are prepared for it.
The main issue that caused the flight delay on Saturday was finding accommodation for the flow of refugees from Kabul, the second official said. The two officials were not allowed to make public statements.
On Saturday, Vice President Kamala Harris, Secretary of State Anthony Blinken, Secretary of Defense Lloyd Austin, Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff General. Mark Milli, National Security Advisor Jake Sullivan and Director of National Intelligence Avril Haynes were briefed on ISIS in Afghanistan during a situation room meeting.
All doors at Kabul airport were closed on Saturday due to service at Al-Udeid Air Base in Qatar, according to a Defense Ministry official who was not allowed to comment publicly.
Most US military evacuation planes fly from Kabul to Qatar, and the latter's inability to serve more evacuees is having an impact.
Despite the volatile and dynamic situation at Kabul airport, Pentagon officials said on Saturday they were continuing to deal with evacuees from Afghanistan.
Army Major. General William Taylor, deputy director of the Joint Regional Operations Headquarters, said: “The airport is safe. "At this time, nothing is known about the change in enemy position in and around the airport."
The current situation in Afghanistan in figures
Particularities:
There are 5,800 American soldiers in Afghanistan.
Over the past week, 17,000 people have been evacuated.
They were 3,800 in the last 24 hours.
According to Taylor, on the eve of Kabul, he left six C-17 military transports and 32 charter planes, which carried around 3,800 people. He said the C-17s are moving evacuees between Qatar and Germany to make way for intermediate landing sites. Three flights arrived in Dulles on the last day, Taylor said, and the Afghans will be picked up at Fort Bliss.
Nearly 22,000 people have been evacuated since July and 17,000 since Aug. 14, including 2,500 Americans, Taylor said.
The 82nd Airborne Division secures the airstrip at Kabul International Airport, the army's 10th Mountain Rifle Division is on duty at the airport, and the 24th Marine Expeditionary Division is facilitating the departure of civilians.
The United States Embassy in Afghanistan has issued a warning to Americans in the country.
Americans planning to go to Kabul airport for evacuation received various instructions from US military and diplomatic officials on Saturday.
Due to potential security threats outside the airport gates, the US Embassy in Kabul on Saturday issued a warning to Americans, advising them not to go there without "individual instructions from an official. of the US government ".
How can you help Afghan civilians threatened by Taliban violence?
However, Pentagon officials said they continue to process U.S. residents and those with proper documentation through airport gates.
“We continue to treat Americans as they walk through the door and transport them to safety,” Taylor added. “I never said you had to come. I meant that our armed personnel at the gate are able to take charge of people arriving at the gate. "
The management of the embassy has been described by Pentagon spokesman John Kirby as "reasonable notice to ensure that any movement there is as safe as possible."
He did not go into details on security issues, pointing out that the situation is constantly changing.
He noted: “I will not go into specific threat assessments. “It's incredibly fluid and dynamic,” says the narrator.
"Completely insufficient," said the chairman of the Democratic Committee, which wants to study the evacuation measures.
The chairman of the Democratic Party's House Armed Services Committee has joined calls for an investigation into what went wrong with the US withdrawal from Afghanistan.
Representative Adam Smith, Washington, said in a statement Friday night that the plan for evacuating civilians was "completely inadequate." "We need to understand why it has happened this way in the months to come and make sure it does not happen again."
Smith also said the intelligence used to guide the evacuation should be reviewed to see if it "provides any clarification as to how quickly the Taliban will approach and what our response should look like," Smith said.
The Senate Intelligence Committee is coordinating a series of hearings scheduled to investigate actions taken by the White House, Pentagon, State Department and intelligence agencies in collaboration with Democrats and Republicans on foreign relations and military commissions.
However, Smith, like Biden, stressed that the immediate priority should be the safe evacuation of Americans and friends from Afghanistan as soon as possible.
Biden is still hoping for full retirement by August 31.
The warning about the chaotic situation at the airport, where thousands of passengers await departure, came a day after President Joe Biden said he had no problem getting to downtown Kabul at the airport.
"We have no evidence that they couldn't get through Kabul airport," Biden said on Friday.
Biden said on Friday that the administration still hopes to complete the pullout on time, but that it will continue until all Americans are gone. He also said Afghans who were helping US forces would be evacuated.
Kirby declined to speculate that the window of opportunity was narrowing, but recognized the need for urgency.
He remarked, “I think we were pretty honest in saying that we are fighting both in time and in space. "Right now, this is the race we are in."
Kirby said the military maintains regular contact with Taliban leadership in Kabul.
He noted: “We have a whole host of security issues.
Biden said the intelligence community expected the Taliban to seize power in the country, but seriously underestimated the willingness of the Afghan government and security forces to surrender.
"The general consensus is that they will collapse and fall in 11 days and the Afghan commander will leave the country," Biden said on Friday. " I decided. I am in charge. I agreed with the majority opinion. "
According to a Pentagon spokesperson, Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin has not considered the possibility of a resignation over Afghanistan and fully supports President Joe Biden's decision to withdraw his troops.
Asked about Austin's request not to withdraw his troops during the briefing, Kirby said the secretary was confident his point of view had been heard during the debate.
Kirby added, "He had the opportunity to give his best advice and advice." "It was a collaborative and thoughtful process."
Austin was ready to follow the instructions of his commander-in-chief after Biden made his decision in April.
Kirby said: "He fully supports this choice." "He was very candid about it."
Biden is on the phone with other countries.
As analysts fear events in Afghanistan could damage Biden's relations with his foreign allies, the president on Friday called on the leaders of Qatar and Italy to express their gratitude for their assistance in the evacuation of American citizens and vulnerable Afghan refugees from Afghanistan.
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