Justin Bullock, FISM News
On Friday President Biden delivered an address on the evacuation process in Afghanistan. During that speech he reiterated his commitment to evacuate all Americans and as many Afghan American allies as possible before the August 31, 2021 deadline. He also claimed that conditions at and around the airport in Kabul are under control and that any American who has tried to get to the airport has been able to do so without incident.
However, in a military briefing mere minutes after the President’s address, Secretary of Defense Lloyd Austin contradicted the President telling Congress that the Taliban have beaten and harassed Americans at checkpoints. He also gave reports that the Taliban had prevented large numbers of Afghan American allies from getting to the airport.
Austin’s remarks indicate that the situation in and around the Afghan airport is not at all what the President made it seem to be. For those Americans or American allies who have not yet made it to the airport, the situation is incredibly dire. There are stories of the Taliban going door to door in attempt to find and capture Americans or American allies who are hiding for their lives as they await their turn to evacuate. In fact, the situation got so hostile and violent that flights were delayed for hours out of the airport on Friday.
For now American troops are reserved to the perimeter of the airport and no indication has been made that they will leave that perimeter to assist Americans and allies on the outside. An increasing number of Democratic and Republican lawmakers are calling for a stronger stance and effort from the US military. President Biden is also receiving criticism for keeping the August 31 deadline for evacuations despite the horrors that are currently plaguing Afghanistan. Lawmakers are saying that the US should maintain its presence at the airport until all American citizens and allies are safely evacuated.