Pentagon acknowledges “terrible” conditions at Qatar base temporarily house Afghan evacuees

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“We are aware and concerned like no other of the terrible sanitation conditions in Qatar that were facilitated by the large number and speed with which they arrived,” Pentagon spokesman John Kirby told reporters during a briefing on Tuesday.

Several media outlets had reported unhealthy conditions at Al Udeid air base, which has been one of the main destinations for flights from Kabul.

Kirby said Tuesday that conditions are “improving now,” but “are not” perfect.

“We will be the first to admit that conditions in Al Udeid could have been better. Now they are improving,” he said. “I won’t put myself here to tell you they’re perfect, because they’re not.”

The U.S. military continues to try to identify other temporary sites where evacuees can be sent to “relieve pressure” at the Qatar base, Kirby said.

He added that “no one here wants anyone to be less safe, comfortable and well cared for as they go through this process.”

The United States reached an agreement with Qatar for the nation to welcome 8,000 applicants for a Special Immigrant Visa for Afghanistan (SIV) and their families.

There was an eight-hour break on U.S. military evacuation flights on Friday because Al Udeid’s base had reached capacity.
The U.S. military has chosen more locations to temporarily send evacuees, including Ramstein Air Base to Germany, locations in Italy, Spain and Bahrain, Kirby said.

The United States is in the midst of what President Joe Biden has called “one of the largest and most difficult air bridges in history” and is trying to increase flights from Afghanistan before 31 August approaches because troops Americans stay out. of the country. At the base of Al Udeid is the largest American base in the Middle East.

As a sign of the scope and urgency of the mission, the Pentagon activated commercial airlines to assist in the evacuation mission by flying people leaving Qatar and other centers, to the United States or to a third country.

More than 21,000 people have been evacuated from Kabul airport in the past 24 hours by U.S. military and coalition flights, a White House official told CNN on Tuesday.

CNN’s Kylie Atwood, Barbara Starr, Jennifer Hansler, Michael Conte and Nicole Gaouette contributed to this report.

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