The flight from Afghanistan continued to fall into a humiliating debacle for the United States on Saturday, as threats of attacks by ISIS and Taliban death squads – and contradictory White House guidelines – were added. to the dangerous chaos faced by thousands of Americans and allies trying to flee. the country.
The U.S. embassy said Saturday that U.S. citizens in Afghanistan should stay away from Kabul airport, the only way out.
The warning directly contradicted President Biden’s insistence on Friday that Americans could go freely to Hamid Karzai International Airport from the Afghan capital and that an “agreement” had been reached with the Taliban on the issue.
“Because of possible security threats outside the gates of Kabul airport, we are advising U.S. citizens to avoid traveling to the airport and to avoid the airport gates at this time,” he said. embassy on Saturday on a security alert.
Islamic fundamentalists have taken control of the capital and the United States says it lacks the logistical capacity to enter the city and rescue American individuals.
While the airport remains under U.S. control, the road to it has become incredibly dangerous, as militants set up arbitrary checkpoints along the road and divert or attack those who want to pass, according to reports.
News emerged on Saturday that ISIS and other terrorist groups could be the culprits, forcing the U.S. military to find new ways to get evacuees to the airport, The Associated Press reported.
An Afghan interpreter, in his fifth attempt to reach the airport, told CBS News that the Taliban were telling people outside the airport that ISIS was planning an attack.
The embassy’s new orientation underscores the growing crisis and confusion on the ground, as the United States rushes to evacuate its Afghan citizens and allies from the clutches of the Taliban.
Former White House press secretary Ari Fleischer attacked Biden and said the president has put the Americans “on a single stray bullet from a bloodbath in Kabul.”
“I don’t know if I’ve ever seen a politician, especially at a dangerous time like this, so denied, out of touch, out of lunch and all clueless,” said Fleischer, who served in the George W. Bush administration. told Rita Cosby on WABC Radio on Friday.
In the last 24 hours, six U.S. military C-17s and 32 charter flights have left the airport with a total of 3,800 passengers, military officials reported Saturday. On Saturday, in Germany, American soldiers were seen preparing barracks for refugees.
However, the situation in the country continued to deteriorate over the weekend as the Taliban went on to consolidate their profits and subdue the population.
According to a group that helps Afghan interpreters trapped in chaos, Taliban death squads were on the hunt for Afghans and others believed to have collaborated with the United States or the newly ousted Islamic Republic of Afghanistan.
The non-profit Australian Forsaken Fighters said “tens of thousands” could potentially be at risk.
“Interpreters from the Kandahar area have reported that the Taliban have been actively looking for interpreters to support coalition forces, even using local children to help point people out and go door-to-door to find them.” the organization told The Sun.
“People are being dragged out of their homes and executed. It’s a really horrible situation. The sheer despair of those who helped us is overwhelming. ”
A family member of a journalist from the German station Deutsche Welle was shot dead by the Taliban, the station confirmed, adding that the rest of the country’s staff have had their homes raided, he said. inform Reuters.
The Taliban have created “priority lists” of alleged collaborators to pursue the effort and have been making “specific door-to-door visits” according to a leaked United Nations document consulted by the Agence França-Presse.
John Kirby, a spokesman for the Department of Defense, was asked about terrorist threats during a press conference on Saturday, but declined to elaborate.
“We will not go into specific details about the threat environment,” he said.
During the same briefing, Kirby defended his statements just days before Kabul fell to the Taliban, saying the city “is not in any imminent threat environment right now.”
“At the time I said it, based on what we knew at the time, it was a true statement. And yes, two days later things changed drastically. I admit it easily. Things moved very quickly, “Kirby told Fox News on Saturday.
Additional reports by Mary Kay Linge and Eileen AJ Connelly