US troops leave Afghanistan: Adherence to the deadline depends on the attitude of the Taliban – Topka

In a speech at the White House on Tuesday, Biden declared that the United States is “on the road” to withdraw all their troops from Afghanistan by the set deadline of 31 August.

“I am determined to end our mission … The sooner it succeeds, the better.” Biden stressed, adding that every day there is a growing risk that members of the US military in Kabul will be the target of attacks by the so-called Islamic State and other terrorist groups. However, he stressed that the postponement by the end of August would be dependent on Taliban cooperation.

“Completion by 31 August will depend on the Taliban continuing to cooperate and allow access to the (Kabul) airport by those we wish to evacuate from the country, and will not disrupt our operation.” said the head of the White House, quoted by CNN.

In this precarious situation, Biden instructed the Ministries of Foreign Affairs and Defense to draw up alternative removal schedules in case this was necessary. In his speech, the US president said that more than 70,000 people had been evacuated from Afghanistan since August 14. However, according to him, the evacuation is complicated by the chaotic situation and violence around Kabul airport.

Biden also said G7 leaders at a virtual summit on Tuesday expressed a determination to work together to evacuate people from Afghanistan.

The first American evacuation troops began to leave Afghanistan

The first American troops to evacuate from the country began to withdraw from Afghanistan on Tuesday. This happened on the day when US President Joe Biden confirmed that he did not intend to extend the deadline of 31 August for the expulsion of members of the US military from Afghanistan.

This was stated for CNN television by two unnamed representatives from the environment of the American Ministry of Defense. They did not say how many troops had already left Afghanistan, but assured that the start of the evacuation did not affect the evacuation of people from Kabul Airport. The Pentagon said Monday that approximately 5,800 U.S. troops are operating at Kabul International Airport to oversee the safety of evacuation flights.

“The reduction (the number of US forces) does not yet affect the mission,” said one of the representatives cited by CNN. According to him, the decision on what military personnel is needed to carry out the mission is in the competence of the operation commander and depends on several factors, such as the number of open departure gates or the number of people arriving at the airport. The whole mission can be carried out with a smaller number of soldiers, and therefore with less security risk.

According to CNN, only a small part of the evacuation troops have left Afghanistan so far. The number of evacuates is expected to increase in the coming days, and at the same time the number of American soldiers leaving the country will increase.