President Biden
HASC President Joe Biden says plans to evacuate Afghan citizens were “totally inadequate” as the U.S. military faces growing calls to do more to evacuate Afghanistan. He is scheduled to address the nation on Sunday afternoon to provide updates on the administration’s evacuation efforts in Afghanistan as pressure continues for his security team to safely transport thousands of Americans. and Afghan allies amid growing security threats.
Biden is expected to make statements from the Roosevelt Room at 4 p.m. after a closed-door meeting with his national security team in the Situation Room to receive security updates in Afghanistan, according to a press calendar shared by the White House Saturday night.
The intended address follows calls with Abu Dhabi’s Crown Prince, Mohamed bin Zayed, and Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez, during which Biden thanked the leaders for their help in working to evacuate citizens of the United States and associated nations. The president also thanked the leaders for accepting Afghan citizens who helped the U.S. military during its two decades of military operations in Afghanistan.
U.S. military bases in the United Arab Emirates, Spain and other countries have hosted hundreds of Afghan refugees amid ongoing evacuations following the consolidation of Taliban power in the region.
Press reports revealed on Saturday that the Pentagon was seeking help from major U.S. commercial airlines to transport Afghan refugees who have traveled to U.S. bases in surrounding countries.
Captain John Perkins, a spokesman for the U.S. Transportation Command, told the New York Times that a warning was issued Friday night to major airlines that some of their planes may be needed.
The Department of Defense did not immediately respond to The Hill’s request for comment on the potential use of commercial aircraft.
The Pentagon said earlier Saturday that the United States had evacuated about 17,000 people from Afghanistan over the past week and that 22,000 have been displaced since the end of July.
Among those evacuated in recent weeks, about 2,500 have been U.S. citizens.
Evacuations have become increasingly difficult since the Taliban took control, and U.S. officials have shared cases of Americans and Afghan civilians experiencing violence as they attempt to travel to Kabul International Airport.
Several media reports also said that the US military has been forced to find alternative routes to Kabul airport amid possible ISIS-K security threats aimed at those attempting to flee.
On Friday, Biden said in White House statements that “where we have seen challenges for Americans so far we have been able to solve them.”