Washington: White House said Tuesday that the Taliban had promised that civilians could travel safely to Kabul Airport because the US military increased airlift for Americans and Afghanistan escaped from Islamic groups.
About 3,200 people have been evacuated by the US military so far, a White House official said, including 1,100 on Tuesday alone – US citizens, permanent residents and their families on 13 flights.
Earlier Tuesday, the White House said that 11,000 US citizens remained domestically, including diplomats, contractors, and others, who were most waiting to be evacuated after the Taliban takeover.
Washington wants to finish Exodus before the time limit withdrawing August 31, and thousands of US troops are at the airport because Pentagon plans to increase large C-17 transportation flights to two dozen a day.
“Now we have set up the flow, we hope the numbers will increase,” White House officials said that the evacuation figures were updated Tuesday and who spoke with the terms of anonymity.
US officials said they came into contact with the Taliban commander to ensure aviation operations at Hamid Karzai International Airport remained safe from the attack and that citizens and Afghans who tried to have a safe part.
“We do not have hostile interactions, no attacks and no threats by the Taliban,” General General Hank Taylor said at the Pentagon.
But the Ned Price Department of Foreign Affairs said on Tuesday that the United States could decide to maintain diplomatic presence in essence, now operating outside the airport after the US Embassy was closed, after August 31.
“If safe and responsible for us have the potential to stay longer, it is something we can see,” said the price.
He also asked the Taliban to follow up promises to respect the rights of citizens including women.
Also being flown is Afghanistan providing a US refugee visa, mostly because it has worked as a translator for American and NATO forces, other foreign nationals, and “risky” non-specific Afghanistans.
Apart from several reports that people were harassed and even beaten when they tried to leave, the White House National Security Advisor Jake Sullivan said the “big number” could reach the airport.
“The Taliban has told us that they are ready to provide a safe trip from civilians to the airport, and we intend to embrace them on that commitment,” he told reporters.
The US Department of Defense has poured troops to the airport since Saturday to protect the exodus when the Taliban rebels entered Kabul after the siege of lightning throughout the country and seized power.
Taylor said the number of US troops would rise from 2,500 on Monday to around 4,000 on Tuesday night.
He said the United States aims to increase his airlift into one one-hour plane so that between 5,000 and 9,000 passengers can be done per day.
Some other countries, including Germany and France, can also pick up citizens and Afghans who are eligible to travel to these countries.
Taylor spoke a day after security strike at the airport, with a video showing hundreds of Afghans ran next to C-17, some stick to him.
The video seems to show two people who fall into their deaths from one plane after taking off.
Other people were later found dead in the wheel well.
US Air Force spokesman Ann Stefanek said they were investigating incidents.
“Before the air crew could reduce the cargo, the plane was surrounded by hundreds of Afghan civilians,” he said.
“Faced with the security situation that deteriorated quickly around the plane, the C-17 crew decided to leave the airport as soon as possible.”
US Increases Kabul evacuation, the Taliban said promised to ‘safe passage’
