Biden Addresses Afghanistan Evacuation Efforts, Calls it ‘Most Difficult Airlifts In History’
President Joe Biden on Friday delivered updates on the Afghanistan evacuation, calling it “one of the largest, most difficult airlifts in history.”
Biden said the U.S. has helped evacuate about 18,000 people from Afghanistan since July and about 13,000 since the US military lift began on Aug. 14. He also vowed to evacuate any American who wants to leave the country.
“I cannot promise what the final outcome will be. But, as commander in chief, I can assure you that I will mobilize every resource necessary,” Biden said at the White House press briefing.
When addressing the 8-hour “pause” in evacuation flights from Kabul, Biden said that it was done to "make sure we could process the arriving evacuees at the transit points,” adding that there has been an order to resume outbound flights.
"Even with the pause, we've moved out 5,700 evacuees yesterday, and we're working ... to verify the number of Americans that are still in the country," Biden said.
This week, a bipartisan group of governors spoke up about Afghanistan’s latest developments, saying they are ready to welcome Afghan refugees. Many cited the troubling scenes in the country and offered to specifically help the many Afghan diplomats, journalists, and other civilians who have been allies to the U.S.
Tens of thousands of Afghans have tried to flee the country as the Taliban tightens its grip. Social media has been flooded with images from Afghans' rushed exits leading to sporadic fighting at the airport, people falling to their deaths from planes and roads paralyzed with traffic.
"You've known my position for a long, long time. It's time to end this war," Biden said.
Biden added that he will convene a G7 meeting next week to coordinate a mutual approach on Afghanistan moving forward. The G7 is a group made of the world’s most advanced economies, including Canada, France, Germany, Italy, Japan, the United Kingdom and the United States.
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