Biden made the decision given the security risks of staying in the country longer, the official said, and has called for contingency plans in case he later determines that the U.S. needs to stay in the country longer.
Biden’s aides expected him to discuss the airlift and potentially explain his decision to leave at the end of the month in a morning video conference with the leaders of the world’s major democracies.
Biden spoke for seven minutes about the Group of 7 call just after 9:30 a.m. ET, the White House said. He will issue public comments later in the day.
G7 crisis talks are taking place as Afghanistan’s evacuation effort has picked up in recent days, now far exceeding the administration’s initial daily targets. The White House said Tuesday that 12,700 people were evacuated on 37 U.S. military flights and 8,900 on coalition flights in the past 24 hours. The Pentagon added that the army has increased the pace of flights from Kabul to a plane every 45 minutes.
In all, the White House says U.S. efforts have facilitated the evacuation of approximately 58,700 people since Aug. 14 and 63,900 since late July. According to the Pentagon, approximately 1,000 Afghans have arrived at Dulles International Airport outside of Washington, DC, in the past 24 hours.
Despite the massively expanded flights, some of Biden’s advisers were concerned about the safety of U.S. troops and the potential for retaliation from ISIS or the Taliban if they were maintained beyond August 31. remaining beyond the date would be a “clear violation” of its agreement with the United States.
Burns, an experienced career diplomat, is the top U.S. official who has met in person with the Taliban leadership since the Afghan civilian government collapsed on August 15.
Some of the president’s national security team warned against an extension. Instead, they pointed to the rapidly accelerated flights out of the country and said they still believe there is time to compete before September.
“We think we have time by the 31st to take out any American who wants to go out,” National Security Adviser Jake Sullivan told reporters Monday.
Any extension would have likely been very brief and focused only on the evacuation of Americans, according to an official familiar with the matter, who said all contingencies were under discussion. The Taliban have made it clear that “our leadership will make the right and necessary decisions” in case the US stays on August 31, spokesman Sohail Shaheen said on Monday.
“August 31 is the deadline announced by them,” the Taliban spokesman said. “The United States must adhere to the elimination of troops from Afghanistan on this date. Otherwise, it will be a clear violation.”
The G7 emergency meeting was convened this week to respond to the chaotic events in Kabul, where tens of thousands of foreign and Afghan citizens who helped in the war effort are desperately trying to leave.
Britain and France, in particular, are pressuring Biden to leave troops in the country for a few more days, arguing that it would still allow him to meet the original September 11 withdrawal date from U.S. forces. They hope Biden will agree and believe it would be tantamount to showing goodwill after his decision to withdraw from Afghanistan caused tensions in US alliances.
Even some Democrats in the United States agree; House Intelligence President Adam Schiff emerged pessimistic Monday from a briefing with intelligence officials that the Biden administration will be able to achieve its goal of evacuating all Americans and his allies in Afghanistan on Aug. 31, saying it was “very unlikely.”
“It’s hard for me to imagine all that can be achieved by the end of the month,” Schiff said, adding that he was concerned about the terrorist threat at the airport.
There is another briefing of all members of the House on Afghanistan scheduled for Tuesday morning. The best members of Biden’s national security team, including the secretaries of state and defense, will brief lawmakers. This group should also send Biden to the White House.
British Prime Minister Boris Johnson, who is hosting the meeting as the current G7 president, advocates a unified approach by the Taliban, according to Western officials. He wants the world’s major democracies to present a plan on how to recognize government or potentially apply economic sanctions or withhold aid.
So far no government has recognized the Taliban as the official government of Afghanistan. Doing so could allow the country access to previously committed foreign aid. Non-G7 powers, such as China and Russia, have also been in contact with the Taliban.
Biden has said he wants to apply “harsh conditions” to the Taliban, especially in the way they treat women and girls, before giving their legitimacy to the government. He said Sunday he was open to sanctions.
Tuesday’s G7 call also includes NATO and United Nations secretaries general. Both organizations are expected to play a future role in Afghanistan.
The Pentagon has informed Biden that it must decide before Tuesday to leave enough time for troops and equipment to leave the country by the end of the month, according to officials familiar with the matter.