U.S. Department of Defense officials say they are trying to evacuate the people of Afghanistan “as quickly and safely as possible,” as Afghans and Americans continue to run toward Kabul airport in an attempt to fleeing the Taliban, causing chaos and confusion.
Earlier Saturday, the U.S. embassy in Kabul posted an alert on its website “advising U.S. citizens to avoid traveling to the airport and to avoid airport gates at this time unless you receive individual instructions. ‘a representative of the US government to do so’ due to continued security threats.
A defense official told CBS News that the warning was sparked by intelligence that ISIS-K was planning an attack. With the ISIS threat making it dangerous for Americans to travel to the airport, the U.S. military may have to resort to the use of helicopters to pick them up at city sites, a expansion of operations that could upset the agreements the United States has worked with the Taliban on the ground. President Joe Biden and Vice President Kamala Harris, who is traveling to Singapore but joined by video, met on Saturday morning with the administration’s national security team to discuss the security situation in Afghanistan and counterterrorism operations, including ISIS-K.
The Islamic State of Khorasan, or ISIS-K, is the branch of ISIS in Afghanistan and Pakistan. The Islamist group is an enemy of the Taliban.
Pentagon spokesman John Kirby did not go directly to the embassy’s notice during Saturday morning’s press conference, but said the Pentagon has received sporadic reports that they were besieged and in some cases, physically beaten outside the perimeter of the airport. The Department of Defense has told the Taliban that this is unacceptable, but Kirby said Taliban fighters may not receive their communications or choose not to listen to them.
Despite security threats and chaos at the airport, evacuation flights continued outside the Afghan capital. On Friday, 32 charter planes and six C17 planes carrying about 3,800 evacuated people were able to take off from Kabul airport amid several delays due to the high volume of people being prosecuted. Three of these flights landed at Dulles International Airport in Virginia. Afghans on board will be transferred to Fort Bliss, the Department of Defense said.
The other planes traveled to Ramstein Air Force Base, Germany, and Doha, Qatar, in the Persian Gulf. In Germany, Afghan evacuees can stay in Ramstein for several weeks, according to U.S. military officials. Meanwhile, in Doha, space is beginning to be limited. U.S. officials say there is simply no more room to prosecute them. Al Udeid Air Force Base reached its capacity on Friday, forcing the US to suspend flights for hours outside the Afghan capital until he was able to find other countries, such as Germany, to help transport the evacuees.
At Kabul airport, thousands of Americans and Afghans have tried to overtake Taliban fighters and a crushing crowd, fearing they will be left behind without the protection of US troops. Some Afghans trying to board a flight told CBS News that many people who are not necessarily in imminent danger have appeared at the airport and are obstructing others who need to get out.
Major General William Taylor confirmed on Saturday that 22,000 people have been transferred from Afghanistan since the end of July – and 17,000 people, including 2,500 Americans, have left since August 14. While it’s not clear how many Americans have been evacuated in total, Mr. on ABC News this week that 10 to 15,000 Americans remain in Afghanistan.