US President Joe Biden said the plans to evacuate all American citizens and allies in Afghanistan by August 31 are on track, but he left open the possibility of extending the deadline.

President Biden said the US military has already evacuated over 30,000 people in just under a week, and praised the armed services’ ongoing efforts in Afghanistan during a press meet on August 22.

Biden also vowed to evacuate all Afghan allies and guaranteed a home for them in the United States.

What US Secretary of State said

In a separate press conference on August 25, Anthony Blinken, US Secretary of State, divulged more details about the exact number of evacuations.

“Since August 14, more than 82,300 people have been safely flown out of Kabul. In the 24-hour period from Tuesday to Wednesday, approximately 19,000 people were evacuated on 90 US military and coalition flights,” Blinken said at the press conference.

He added that the government identified 6,000 US citizens when the evacuations started on August 14 and over the last 10 days, 4,500 of them have been safely evacuated from Afghanistan.

Of the remaining 1,500 American citizens who still need to be evacuated, Blinken added that 500 have been in contact with the State Department.

“Thus, from this list of approximately 1,000, we believe the number of Americans actively seeking assistance to leave Afghanistan is lower, likely significantly lower,” said Blinken.

Possible extension of August 31 deadline

The Kabul evacuations may be hit by terror threats and Western countries are warning of an attack on the Kabul airport, the BBC reported from ground zero in real time.

It is evident that the conditions at the Kabul airport are changing every hour. The Biden administration held a virtual meeting with leaders of allies and said the US is currently on pace to maintain the deadline and leave Afghanistan by August 31.

Biden also warned of the growing danger on the ground and security risks as the Taliban reportedly cut off access to the Kabul airport, reported the Wall Street Journal on August 24.

“The sooner we can finish, the better. Each day of operations brings added risk to our troops,” said Biden at the White House on August 24.

Also read: Explained: How time ran out for US in Afghanistan

He also revealed that he has instructed the Pentagon to develop a contingency plan in case the deadline for Afghanistan has to be extended.

Blinken stressed that there was no deadline on the US government’s efforts to help both Americans and others even after August 31.

Changeable situation

The complexity of the ground realities in Afghanistan will present challenges to the US deadline to leave Afghanistan. While Biden and Blinken are providing reports every day, things can change in a matter of hours and it remains to be seen if the US president will in fact stick to the deadline or extend it.

Blinken mentioned the use of every “diplomatic and economic” assistance tool, but he did not elaborate on the details of how this would be possible without a military presence beyond August 31, reported Reuters about his latest press conference.

Blinken said the state department is working on detailed plans to provide consular support to those who wish to leave after August 31.

Amid reports of blockades on roads leading to the Kabul airport, the Taliban said it will not be entertaining the presence of foreign forces in Afghanistan beyond August 31.

Also read: Afghanistan: US President Joe Biden's approval rating plunges to lowest point

(Edited by : Shoma Bhattacharjee)

First Published:Aug 26, 2021 6:38 PM IST