More than , people have been airlifted from Kabul airport in the past two weeks as part of the U. But the end of the U. The United States has evacuated more than 5, U. A small number of American citizens have chosen to continue to stay in Afghanistan, many of them so they can be with family members. The Biden administration has said it expects the Taliban to continue allowing safe passage for Americans and others to leave Afghanistan after the U.
But there are concerns about how those citizens will be able to leave if there is no functioning airport. Tens of thousands of at-risk Afghans, such as interpreters who worked with the U. It is unclear what their fate will be but officials are concerned that the Taliban may retaliate against them. The Taliban have pledged to allow all foreign nationals and Afghan citizens with travel authorization from another country to leave Afghanistan, according to a joint statement issued by Britain, the United States and other countries on Sunday.
For the past two weeks, the U. The official spoke on the condition of anonymity to discuss unannounced plans. The administration intends to carry out the evacuation later this summer, likely in August, according to a second official familiar with the deliberations but not authorized to discuss them publicly.
The Pentagon has said the military is prepared to assist the State Department as needed but indicated that charter flights might be adequate to move the Afghan visa applicants, thus not necessarily requiring a military airlift.
Officials said that NATO allies, such as Germany, are also very close to being completely out of the country. Senior Pentagon leaders, including Austin, have been cautious in recent weeks when asked about the troop withdrawal, and they have declined to provide any public details on when the last troops would leave, citing security concerns.
Sections U. Science Technology Business U. US to keep about troops in Afghanistan after withdrawal. In this June 23, , photo, Afghan militiamen join Afghan defense and security forces during a gathering in Kabul, Afghanistan.
Connect with the definitive source for global and local news. There were no American civilians on the last five jets to leave Afghanistan, and McKenzie said the ability to evacuate Americans ended about 12 hours before the last military flight out. The U. McKenzie said the Taliban has been "pragmatic" in the last couple of weeks as the U. He said "there was no discussion of turning anything over or anything at all.
McKenzie said he will "never forget" every Marine, sailor and soldier who died. He said the mission in Afghanistan has shifted from a military mission to a diplomatic one. Over a hour period the prior day, from early Saturday into early Sunday, roughly 2, people were evacuated, with 32 military flights and nine coalition aircraft departing Kabul's airport. Special Report: Last troops leave Afghanistan.
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