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WASHINGTON – President Joe Biden will address the nation on Tuesday as U.S. and coalition forces accelerate emergency evacuation efforts in Afghanistan, a mission that is scheduled to end in a week.
He is expected to maintain the schedule he previously set for the full withdrawal of U.S. troops from Afghanistan.
Biden’s statements, which are delayed until 4:30 p.m. ET, come after an emergency G-7 meeting where leaders of the world’s seven major industrialized democracies were expected to press the president of the United States. to extend the August 31 departure date.
Biden has said earlier that he may consider extending the release date to August 31, but has not yet done so. However, the Taliban have said the withdrawal deadline is a “red line” and there will be consequences if foreign troops remain in Afghanistan after that date.
Thousands of Afghans have fled to the gates of Kabul’s Hamid Karzai International Airport seeking a flight out of the country as the Taliban consolidate control of the country.
The White House said Tuesday that the U.S. has evacuated or helped remove about 58,700 people from Afghanistan since Aug. 14, with about 21,600 of them transported by air for 12 hours Monday.
Since the end of July, the United States has relocated approximately 63,900 people, according to the White House. According to the State Department, it is still believed that there are several thousand Americans waiting to be evacuated.