Biden sticking to Aug. 31 deadline for Afghanistan evacuations as Taliban warns of 'consequences' if it's missed
Natalie Musumeci,John Haltiwanger | Publié le
- President Joe Biden will not push back the deadline to finish evacuations in Afghanistan, the White House confirmed Tuesday.
- Biden has set an Aug. 31 deadline to finish the evacuations of Americans and Afghan allies in Kabul.
- Earlier Tuesday, the Taliban said Afghans will be prevented from going to the airport in the capital of Kabul.
- See more stories on Insider's business page .
The White House announced Tuesday that the US intended to maintain the August 31 deadline for completing evacuations from the Kabul airport in Afghanistan.
"During a meeting this morning with the G7 leaders, the President conveyed that our mission in Kabul will end based on the achievement of our objectives. He confirmed we are currently on pace to finish by August 31st," White House press secretary Jen Psaki said in a statement.
President Joe Biden had been set to address the nation from the White House at 12 p.m. ET Tuesday about the "ongoing efforts" in Afghanistan, but the speech was pushed back by more than four hours .
The speech comes as the Taliban is pushing back on America's evacuation efforts, saying Afghans will be prevented from going to the airport in the capital of Kabul to try to flee the country.
Biden will discuss the US' "ongoing efforts in Afghanistan to evacuate American citizens, SIV [Special Immigrants Visa] applicants and their families, and other vulnerable Afghans, and his meeting with fellow G7 leaders on how our nations can come together in support of the Afghan people," the White House said.
A Taliban spokesperson urged the US against pushing Afghan nationals to leave, saying their skills will be required to rebuild the country.
"We are asking the American: please change your policy and don't encourage Afghans to leave," said Taliban spokesperson Zabihullah Mujahid.
The Taliban also said Tuesday that the US must finish its evacuation of people from Afghanistan by the Biden administration's August 31 deadline.
The militant group said it will not accept any extensions on the withdrawal date, and has warned of "consequences" if the deadline is missed or pushed back.
Meanwhile, reports emerged Tuesday that Biden had CIA Director William Burns meet with Taliban leader Abdul Ghani Baradar in Kabul on Monday - making it "the highest-level face-to-face encounter between the Taliban and the Biden administration since the militants seized the Afghan capital," The Washington Post first reported .
The Taliban took control of Afghanistan for the first time since 2001 last week after the rapid collapse of the US-backed Afghan government, which stunned the Biden administration .
Via PakApNews