Biden Sets Taliban On Notice: They Must Cooperate To Meet Deadline
More than 75,000 have been evacuated this month, president says
Much of the American news media may remain wrapped up in the optics and politics surrounding the disintegrating conditions in Afghanistan, but President Biden and his administration continue to move ahead with their massive evacuation operation.
The United States has airlifted more than 75,000 people out of Taliban-controlled Afghanistan as of Tuesday, when Biden made his most recent public remarks on the situation in that country.
“We are currently on a pace to finish by August the 31st. The sooner we can finish, the better. Each day of operations brings added risk to our troops,” Biden said.
The president also put Afghanistan's new Taliban rulers on notice, implicitly warning them not to interfere with people trying to get to the airport in the capital of Kabul if they want the August 31 deadline they imposed honored.
“But the completion by August 31st depends upon the Taliban continuing to cooperate and allow access to the airport for those who were transport — we’re transporting out and no disruptions to our operations,” Biden said.
Thus far, the Taliban have been “taking steps to work with us so we can get our people out, but it’s a tenuous situation,” he added. “We already had some gun fighting break out. We run a serious risk of it breaking down as time goes on.”
Even as some in the American media bemoan the United States having to operate under a Taliban-imposed deadline, administration officials have begun making plans should it become necessary to extend the evacuation operation into September.
Typical of the analysis by many members of the press was this Tuesday report by Richard Engel, of NBC News.
“But then if you step back and you look at what is going on, this is the United States after 20 years. This war used to be called Operation Enduring Freedom and it's turned out not to be enduring and they’re not leaving behind a society that is free, it is only free according to what the Taliban says it will be free, if the Taliban promises that it will be free,” Engel said in an on-air spot on MSNBC. “You could also look at this as a tremendously humiliating, moment of American humiliation, leaving, forced to leave on the Taliban’s clock and with the Taliban’s good graces. Tactically it makes sense but I’m not sure how history, I think history will judge this moment as a very dark period for the United States."
This, despite Biden saying that his administration is prepared to extend work beyond the August 31 deadline if it's deemed essential.
“In addition, I’ve asked the Pentagon and the State Department for contingency plans to adjust the timetable should that become necessary,” the president said. “I’m determined to ensure that we complete our mission. I’m also mindful of the increasing risks that I’ve been briefed on and the need to factor those risks in.
“There are real and significant challenges that we also have to take into consideration. The longer we stay, starting with the acute and growing risk of an attack by a terrorist group known as ISIS-K, an ISIS affiliate in Afghanistan — which is the sworn enemy of the Taliban as well — every day we’re on the ground is another day we know that ISIS-K is seeking to target the airport and attack both U.S. and Allied forces and innocent civilians,” Biden added.
Sen Chris Murphy (D-Conn), the chairman of a key Senate subcommittee and one who has been one of the Biden administration's most staunch defenders since the crisis in Afghanistan began, made it clear that looking at hewing to the deadline should not be seen through a simplistic jingoistic lens of American national pride.
Rather, staying past August 31 carries with it real risks to US forces in the event that they were called back to combat against the Taliban, Murphy tweeted.
“Staying in Afghanistan past August may be necessary, but those who so casually advocate for it should be honest about the costs. If war breaks out again with the Taliban, we would need to airlift in tens of thousands of new troops and many Americans would die,” he said Wednesday.
Do you find this post of value?
Please share it…