“So far, the reduction does not affect the mission,” said one official, who added that the field commander can decide which military personnel are in units that are no longer needed. This decision may be based on a number of factors, including the number of doors open at the airport, the number of people passing through, and more.
“If you can set a smaller mission and continue to carry out the mission, you can reduce your footprint and reduce the risk,” the official said.
Speaking at a G7 emergency meeting on Tuesday, Biden said the threat to U.S. troops in Kabul was one of the key reasons it remained at the end of the month as the final withdrawal date.
“The president conveyed that our mission in Kabul will end based on the achievement of our goals,” White House press secretary Jen Psaki said in a statement. “He confirmed that we are currently nearing the end of August 31 and provided an update on the progress in the evacuation of Americans who want to return home, third-country nationals and Afghans who were the our allies during the war “.
Psaki said Biden noted that every day risks increase in a country now controlled by the Taliban and made a particular point of warning about the potential for terrorist attacks, which has become an acute concern within his administration, he said.
“There has been no change in the mission’s schedule, which should be completed by the end of the month,” Pentagon Press Secretary John Kirby said Tuesday morning.
“If the worst case scenario happens, you don’t want more people there than you need,” the defense official said.
As the United States approaches the final withdrawal date, the number of Afghan evacuees expected to leave is expected to decrease, while the number of U.S. troops leaving is expected to increase.
The White House said Tuesday morning that 12,700 people had been evacuated by 37 U.S. military flights and that 8,900 had been evacuated by coalition flights in the past 24 hours. The Pentagon added that the army has increased the pace of flights departing from Kabul to a plane approximately 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.
But even as the United States blows up tens of thousands of people from the country, the situation in Afghanistan remains desperate and many Afghans who helped the war effort are still waiting their turn to leave.
U.S. officials have described in absolute terms the real threat of terrorist attacks at Kabul airport as crowds gather outside the gates.
This story is broken and will be updated.
CNN’s Paul LeBlanc contributed to this report.