Afghanistan, minute by minute: “I firmly stand by my decision,” says Biden

Military evacuation flights by the United States have resumed at the Kabul airport for now, a US defense official tells CNN. Flights had been suspended due to crowds of Afghans flooding the runway.

People have been evicted, but the military plans to continue sporadic eviction operations if crowds continue to gather.

The suspension and resumption came amid reports of chaos at the airport, where the United States has transferred all its embassy staff. Apparently some Afghans had pounced on the departing planes, making frantic attempts to get on the planes and then hold on to them as they took off. Shots have also been heard around the airport. CNN has not been able to independently confirm these reports, but the military is mobilizing to clear and secure the runways.

The US defense official had told CNN that the suspension would be in effect “while we make sure the airfield is safe.”

The turmoil at the airport underscores the chaos and confusion that have marked the sudden departure of the United States from Afghanistan. Amid reports of the airport unrest and the sudden decision by the US to quickly dispatch an additional 1,000 troops to Kabul, the top US military commander in the Middle East met with Taliban officials to underscore that the America’s only mission was to evacuate people safely. Officials in the Biden administration continued to insist that the United States has the ability to stabilize the situation.

“America has the strength to bring stability and security to that airport,” Deputy National Security Councilor Jon Finer told CNN’s Brianna Keilar on “New Day.”

“I think they’ve come a long way in that direction since some of those images were aired,” Finer said of the scenes of chaos at the airport.

“More forces are coming through today and tomorrow, and we believe we have what it takes to be able to allow these flights to continue as soon as possible,” Finer said.

General Frank McKenzie, commander of the US Central Command (Centcom), met with Taliban leaders in Doha, Qatar on Sunday to stress that the only mission of the US was to get people out. safely, the defense official said.

Finer said the US also issued a warning, making it clear to the Taliban “in no uncertain terms” not to interfere with Afghans trying to reach Kabul airport for possible evacuation. But Finer also added that those Afghans must wait until they are told it is time to evacuate before going to the airport.

“We are telling people, in an orderly fashion, when their flight is scheduled,” Finer said. “And again, this is not going to be a pitched battle. It can’t be, for security reasons … When people’s flights are scheduled, we ask them to report to the airport to board those flights. Not only whoever arrives at the airport by chance, “Finer said.

Speed ​​up evacuation

On Monday, the US airlifted about 500 staff members from its Afghan embassy, ​​leaving another 3,500 employees – US citizens and Afghans – waiting to be evacuated at the airport, a defense official said Sunday. to CNN.

With the Biden administration prioritizing the evacuation of US personnel from the country, they cut the number of government-sponsored evacuation flights for Afghans working alongside the United States for the time being, three sources familiar with the United States told CNN on Sunday. the situation.

Late on Sunday, the Department of Defense and the State Department announced that US forces were taking over air traffic control at Kabul airport. The joint statement also confirmed that the US will expand the troop presence at Kabul airport to nearly 6,000 troops in the next 48 hours as part of “a series of measures to secure Hamid Karzai International Airport to allow the safe departure of the US and Afghanistan-allied personnel via civilian and military flights. “

“Tomorrow and in the coming days, we will move out of the country thousands of US citizens who have resided in Afghanistan, as well as locally employed personnel from the US mission in Kabul and their families and other particularly vulnerable Afghan nationals,” the US said. joint statement.

“And we will accelerate the evacuation of thousands of Afghans who are eligible for special visas for immigrants from the United States, of whom nearly 2,000 have already arrived in the United States in the past two weeks,” the statement said. “For all categories, Afghans who have cleared security will continue to be transferred directly to the United States. And we will find additional locations for those who have not yet been screened.”

A defense official told CNN that the 6,000 US troops assigned to security duties in Kabul will now be tasked with securing the entire perimeter of the airport. Aerial sensors could also be used to ensure perimeter security, the official said. The concern is not just about the hundreds of Afghans rushing to the airfield to try to get the flights out, but about the possibility of Taliban attacks, the official said.

The official said that the continuation of evacuation flights must occur in a safe environment. The original evacuation plan, which called for the presence of 3,000 soldiers, was essentially the basic security plan that assumed a safe environment, the official said. With the damage caused in the city and the airport, the Pentagon had to double that number to 6,000 when the security situation worsened.

The official said US forces could end up staying “as long as it takes” to remove the Americans and Afghans, but the way forward remains uncertain.