Washington: Nearly 111,000 people have been evacuated from Afghanistan since the beginning of evacuation operations on August 14, the Pentagon said Friday.
The Taliban controlled Afghanistan on August 15, their sudden victory, who came as a withdrawal of the United States from the country following 20 years of war, has triggered chaos at Kabul airport, from which America and allied countries seek to safely evacuate thousands of residents and allies .
“A total of 89 flights yesterday flew out of Kabul, with a total value of around 12,500 refugees now safe from Afghanistan within 24 hours,” Major General Hank Taylor, in charge of the responsibility of flying Americans from Afghanistan during the Taliban crisis, told reporters at a press conference Pentagon.
“Yesterday, 35 US military planes, 29 C-17, and six C-130 departed with around 8,500 personnel.
Combined with the departure of 54-coalition aircraft, an additional 4,000 personnel left Kabul for a variety of intermediate staging bases, “he said.
In the last 24 hours, more than 300 Americans were evacuated from Afghanistan, carrying an updated amount for around 5,100.
“We continue to maximize efficiency and since US coalition forces and start evacuation, around 111,000 refugees have departed safely.
The Ministry of Foreign and Consular continues the screen and process of people arriving at the gate around Kabul, “Taylor said.
Some gates have been closed as we reported, but Americans, SIV applicants, and vulnerable Afghanistan, which has a designated and proper mandate, will continue to be processed for departure from the airfield.
There are still around 5,400 individuals at the airport waiting for flights from Afghanistan, he said.
The United States, he said, has the ability to include refugees at US military airlift from Afghanistan to the end.
“The Department of Defense has a continuing responsibility to support the Ministry of Foreign Affairs in the movement on the movement of refugees through the staging base between us and safe havens all the way to the United States in the coming days and weeks,” he added.
As directed by President Joe Biden, a Pentagon spokesman John Kirby said that the United States still planned to end this mission at the end of the month.
“When we are closer, and we get closer, you will see we start making muscle movements to attract our troops and some of our equipment that matches any retrograde.
What we want to do is preserve as much ability to as long as we can, both in terms of security tread, but also in terms of ability, as general mentioned in his opening statement, to move refugees, “said Kirby.