The Taliban announced on Tuesday that it would not extend the August 31st deadline for American troops to wrap up their efforts to evacuate U.S. citizens and foreign allies from Afghanistan.
CNN reports that President Biden will stick with the deadline, even as uncertainty mounts about the prospect of locating and rescuing an unknown number of Americans and allies stuck in the country by the end of the month.
CIA director William Burns met with a Taliban leader in Kabul on Monday, but apparently failed to negotiate an extension.
Zabihullah Mujahid, a Taliban spokesman, said on Tuesday that Afghan nationals should not try to flee the country. “Let’s live together. The war for us has finished,” he said.
Mujahid guaranteed the safety of Afghans who aided the U.S. war effort. “We have forgotten everything in the past,” he promised. He urged Afghans waiting outside the Kabul airport to head home.
Despite the Taliban’s reassurances, Reuters reports that “the top U.N. human rights official, Michelle Bachelet, said she had received credible reports of serious violations committed by the Taliban, including summary execution of civilians and restrictions on women and protests against their rule.”
In addition, The New York Times reports that Taliban is interfering with the American effort to finish the evacuations by the end of the month:
People trying to flee Afghanistan must brave Taliban checkpoints and jostle with desperate crowds, risking injury or death. Seven Afghan civilians, including a toddler, have been trampled to death in the crowds outside the airport, according to British military officials.
Other Afghans who supported the two-decade U.S. war effort, particularly women, are terrified to leave their homes, scared of incurring the Taliban’s wrath at checkpoints.
President Biden is participating in a G7 meeting with foreign leaders on Tuesday as the evacuation efforts continue. CNN reports that Biden has some good news to share:
Afghanistan evacuation effort has picked up steam in the past days, now far exceeding the administration’s initial daily goals. The White House said on Tuesday that 12,700 people were evacuated by US military flights and 8,900 were evacuated by coalition flights over the past 24 hours.
In total, the White House says US efforts have facilitated the evacuation of approximately 58,700 people since August 14, and 63,900 since the end of July.
But Biden will likely face pressure to stay in Afghanistan past August 31st, particularly from British prime minister Boris Johnson.
On Sunday, Biden said of his coordination with G7 leaders, “I will tell them that we’ll see what we can do.”
