U.S. Winds Down Afghanistan Evacuations As Last Troops Prepare To Withdraw
By RFE/RL August 29, 2021
The United States moved to wind down an international mission to evacuate thousands of Afghans and foreign nationals on August 29 as President Joe Biden warned the threat of terrorist attacks on the airport in Kabul in the final hours "remains high."
As an August 31 withdrawal deadline set by Biden approaches, bringing to an end 20 years of military presence in Afghanistan, the Pentagon said that fewer than 4,000 troops were left at the airport, down from 5,800 at the height of the evacuation mission.
Although most U.S. allies have finished their evacuation flights, the United States is still planning to keep the airlift going until the final hours, with a Western security official telling Reuters that just over 1,000 civilians inside the airport remained to be flown out.
"We want to ensure that every foreign civilian and those who are at risk are evacuated today. Forces will start flying out once this process is over," said the official, who asked not to be identified.
The previous day, the U.S. military said more than 117,000 people, the majority of them Afghan civilians, had been evacuated in the two weeks since the Taliban seized Kabul.
After a suicide bombing on August 26 killed dozens of Afghans and 13 U.S. troops outside the airport, Biden said in an August 28 statement that the situation on the ground remained "extremely dangerous" and that military commanders informed that an attack "is highly likely in the next 24-36 hours."
The Pentagon said August 27 that a retaliatory drone strike in eastern Afghanistan killed two members of the Islamic State group's Afghanistan affiliate, a foe of the Taliban that claimed credit for the suicide bombing.
Biden said the strike against the extremists, known as Islamic State-Khorasan (IS-K), would not be the last.
"We will continue to hunt down any person involved in that heinous attack and make them pay," Biden said.
A Taliban spokesman condemned the U.S. drone strike, saying it was a "clear attack on Afghan territory."
Since the Western-backed government and Afghan army collapsed under a lightning Taliban offensive, the United States has been coordinating security for evacuations with the former insurgents against which Washington and its allies fought a two-decade long war.
Western leaders have acknowledged thousands of locals who helped them over the years had been left behind by the chaotic exit of international forces from the country, even as most foreign national had been evacuated.
One hurdle in evacuating Afghan allies after the U.S. exit is whether Kabul's airport will remain open and functioning, or whether airlines will even fly there given the security situation.
An unidentified member of the Taliban administration told Reuters that the hard-line Islamist group had engineers and technicians ready to take charge of the airport.
"We are waiting for the final nod from the Americans to secure full control."
NATO member Turkey, alongside its close partner Qatar, where the Taliban has a political office, has been in talks with the new rulers in Kabul about providing technical assistance to keep the capital's airport running.
Many countries have vowed to try to continue working with the Taliban to allow at-risk Afghans to leave, although it is unclear if that will go as far as recognizing a new government of hard-line Islamists in Kabul.
The Taliban have encouraged Afghans to stay to serve the people, pledging amnesty even to those who fought against them, and a less strict form of Islamist rule than when they last governed the country.
Facing the possibility of cuts to aid that kept the previous Western-backed government afloat, they have also appealed to the United States and other nations to maintain diplomatic relations after their withdrawal. Most countries have already pulled out their diplomats.
The United States has said that any recognition of the Taliban had not been decided and would be contingent on the new government's cooperation against international terrorism and respect for human rights, particularly those of women.
U.S. allies have echoed those concerns and pledge to coordinate a response to a new Taliban regime.
The Washington Post reported on August 28, citing two U.S. officials, that Biden is planning to withdraw all diplomatic staff currently at the airport by August 31. It was unclear when or if they might return to the country.
With reporting by AFP, AP, dpa, Reuters, and The Washington Post
Source: https://gandhara.rferl.org/a/american- afghanistan-evacuations/31433470.html
Copyright (c) 2021. RFE/RL, Inc. Reprinted with the permission of Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty, 1201 Connecticut Ave., N.W. Washington DC 20036.
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