Despite the massive airlift from Kabul airport, there are still tens of thousands of people the United States wants to rescue before the deadline expires, which worries American citizens and allies, as well as Afghans and their families who have worked for the country.
According to an agreement with the Taliban, the United States must leave by August 31. But from several countries, voices have been raised that there will not be enough time to catch up with all the evacuations.
– We are concerned about the deadline set by the United States. French Foreign Minister Jean-Yves Le Drian said, according to the BBC, that it would take more time to complete the ongoing operations.
The US military wants information
According to the US Department of Defense, it will also take several days to bring home the approximately 6,000 US troops the US has left in Afghanistan.
The US military urged President Joe Biden to make a decision Tuesday, on whether to extend the evacuation, CNN reports. In this case, it would give the US Department of Defense headquarters time to plan for the continuation of the operation after August 31.
The Taliban threatens the consequences
But the Taliban say the extension discussion is not relevant.
If the US or the UK would like more time for evacuations, the answer is no. Otherwise, it will have consequences, spokesman Suhail Shaheen told Sky News on Monday.
More than 48,000 people have left Afghanistan on US flights since the evacuations intensified on August 14. Of those, 11,000 people were evacuated for 12 hours on Monday, according to the White House. From Sweden, 255 people were transferred out of the country. There are currently about 500 people on the Swedish list, people who hold Swedish citizenship or residence permit in Sweden.
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