The U.S. is negotiating with the Taliban on “all aspects” of the Kabul evacuation

WASHINGTON – National Security Adviser Jack Sullivan said on Monday that the United States is coordinating closely with the Taliban as it is working to evacuate tens of thousands of people from Kabul Airport before President Joe Biden’s August 31 deadline for the withdrawal of U.S. troops.

Sullivan told reporters at the White House: “We are in contact with the Taliban and are discussing with the Taliban on all issues currently occurring in Kabul.” “About what happened at the airport, about how we ensure that American citizens, SIVs and third-country nationals are provided travel Convenient access to the airport. We will continue to have these conversations with them.”

Sullivan said this coordination is carried out “through political and security channels” every day, but he declined to elaborate.

Tens of thousands of Americans, NATO coalition nationals and NATO aid Afghans are desperately trying to leave the country through the only airport not controlled by the Taliban.

Sullivan’s defense of the Biden administration was not influenced by critics, who said the chaotic and often tragic scenes that occurred in and around Kabul Airport in the past week could have been avoided by better planning and execution.

Sullivan said that any U.S. withdrawal will inevitably lead to chaos.

“Regardless of whether Kabul fell in August or September, or December or next August, the fact is that there will be American citizens in Kabul who need to evacuate,” he said.

Nonetheless, “we believe that from now to the 31st, we have time for any Americans who want to leave” Afghanistan to leave.

Sullivan explained that it is impossible to know exactly how many Americans remain in Afghanistan because some citizens have never notified the State Department that they have arrived in the country, while others have notified the government of their arrival rather than their departure.

State Department spokesperson Ned Price later told reporters, “We believe that now there are thousands of Americans in Afghanistan who want to leave.”

It was still unclear on Monday how the United States plans to evacuate these thousands of citizens, many of whom are believed to be outside the capital Kabul.

Last week, the Pentagon stated that although there are thousands of US troops stationed there, the US military cannot even ensure that Americans in Kabul travel safely to Hamid Karzai International Airport.

Saturday, the U.S. Embassy in Kabul warn Due to security threats outside the gate, American citizens should not go to the airport called “H-KAIA” by soldiers and diplomats.

“The President believes that we are making substantial progress,” Sullivan said.

However, he added that Biden “is accepting this day by day and will make a decision as we move forward”, referring to whether to extend the August 31 deadline.

On Sunday, the president said: “Our hope is that we don’t have to extend it. But I doubt that we will discuss our progress in this process.”

At the same time, the Taliban have made it clear that they believe that any effort to keep Western troops in Afghanistan after August 31, even if only at the airport, is tantamount to foreign occupation of their newly-occupied country.

“This is a red line,” Taliban spokesperson Suhail Shaheen Tell the British Sky News Monday. “President Biden announced that they will withdraw all troops on August 31. Therefore, if they extend it, it means that they are expanding their occupation and there is no need to do so.”

Shaheen added: “If the United States or the United Kingdom seek more time to continue to evacuate-the answer is no. Otherwise, there will be consequences.”

In the past 24 hours, international efforts led by the United States to get people out of Afghanistan have accelerated.

Sullivan said that the United States used cargo planes to airlift about 10,400 people out of Kabul in the past 24 hours. Non-US coalition aircraft evacuated another 5,900 people.

According to the Pentagon, the United States has evacuated or assisted in the evacuation of approximately 37,000 people from Afghanistan since August 14. If extended to the end of July, this number will jump to about 42,000.

The Pentagon said the evacuees were flying from Kabul to temporary safe havens in the Middle East and Europe, including US facilities in Qatar, the United Arab Emirates, Kuwait, Bahrain, Italy, Spain and Germany.

Afghan nationals arriving in the United States will be placed in Ft. McCoy is in Wisconsin, Ft. Lee in Virginia, and McGuire Dix Lakehurst Joint Base and Ft. in New Jersey. Happiness in Texas.

In order to expedite the transit of evacuees to countries outside the Middle East, Biden Civilian Reserve Air Force activated On Sunday, it was a rarely used program under which civil airlines were ordered to provide aircraft to assist the military in the event of a catastrophic demand. CRAF activation applies to 18 aircraft from six airlines.

— Amanda Macias of CNBC contributed to this report.