Afghanistan's new Taliban rulers said on Tuesday all foreign evacuations from the country must be completed by Aug. 31, and the White House said U.S. President Joe Biden is aiming to stick to the date due to the mounting threat of militant attacks.
But Biden has left open the chance of the deadline being extended, the White House said, and has asked the Pentagon and the U.S. State Department to develop contingency plans should that prove necessary.
The developments follow what two U.S. officials said was a meeting between CIA Director William Burns and Taliban leader Abdul Ghani Baradar in Kabul on Monday to discuss the chaos in Afghanistan after the Taliban's unexpectedly swift takeover. One U.S. official said it was no longer a question of if, but when, militants would attack and the priority was to get out before it happened.
As he spoke, Western troops were working frantically to get more foreigners and Afghans onto planes and out of the country. Some Democrats in the U.S. Congress argued that the evacuations must be completed regardless of the target date.
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Biden to stick with Aug. 31 Afghanistan withdrawal deadline- officialWASHINGTON (Reuters) -President Joe Biden has accepted a Pentagon recommendation to remove U.S. troops from Afghanistan by an Aug. 31 deadline, an administration official told Reuters on Tuesday. Biden also asked for contingency plans to stay longer, should it be necessary, the official said. The Pentagon recommendation reflects increasing security concerns at the Kabul airport, where American citizens and at-risk Afghans are being evacuated.
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Afghanistan updates: Biden will not extend Aug. 31 withdrawal deadline, US officials say
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Afghanistan updates: Biden says on pace to keep Aug. 31 withdrawal deadline but making 'contingency plans'
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Latest from Afghanistan: Biden says it's possible U.S. may extend Aug. 31 deadline to remove troops“Conditions on the ground remain extremely challenging but we are doing everything we can to manage the situation as safely and securely as possible,” the Defense Ministry said in a statement, according to the Associated Press.
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