WASHINGTON: The Biden Administration Monday said it is now focused on completing its evacuation mission from Afghanistan by August 31, the deadline for removing all American troops from the country.
However, a final decision to extend the evacuation mission from the Kabul airport would be taken by President Joe Biden, according to officials from the White House, the State Department and the Pentagon.
"Ultimately, it will be the President's decision how these proceeds, no one else's," National Security Advisor Jake Sullivan told reporters at a White House news conference.
He was responding to questions on the August 31 deadline set by the Taliban for the US troops to leave the country.
The US currently has 5,800 troops at the Kabul airport, who are mainly engaged in evacuating its citizens and all those Afghans who helped the United States during its stay in the country for the last 20 years.
"The President believes we are making substantial progress. Dozens of flights, thousands -- now tens of thousands of people evacuated from the country. We believe today will be an efficient and effective day and tomorrow and the next day as well. And as I said, he is taking this day by day and will make his determinations as we go," Sullivan said.
At the Pentagon, Defense Department Press Secretary John Kirby told reporters they have seen the public statements by the Taliban spokesman about their views on the 31st of August.
"I think we all understand that view," he said.
"The goal is to get as many people out as fast as possible. And while we're glad to see the numbers that we got yesterday, we're not going to rest on any laurels. The focus is on trying to do this as best we can by the end of the month," he said.
"And as the (defense) secretary said, if their needs to have additional conversations with the commander in chief about that timeline, he'll do that. But we're just not at that point right now," Kirby said.
Echoed the State Department Spokesperson Ned Price, "President Biden will ultimately have to decide when this operation will come to a close. I can tell you that it is our goal to move as quickly as we can and as efficiently as we can to bring to safety as many people as we can."
"And I think you are seeing in the metrics in recent days and certainly over the past 24 hours that we are making good progress on that," he said.
"It is not our goal to be there one day, one hour, one minute longer than is absolutely necessary, but not going to get ahead of that," he told reporters at a State Department news conference.
As of Thursday morning, within the last 24 hours, 25 U.S. military C-17s, three U.S. military C-130s, and then a combination of 61 charter commercial and other military flights departed Kabul.
The total passenger count for those flights was approximately 16,000.
Of that number, the U.S. military transported just under 11,000 personnel, said Major Gen Hank Taylor who has been tasked with the responsibility of airlifting American citizens out of Afghanistan during the Taliban crisis.
He described it as a worldwide effort, with several countries, multiple commands, and thousands of servicemembers across the joint force.
Over the weekend, the airport in Kabul remains secure, he added.
"Today, the number of troops at the airport continues to stand at 5,800. Commanders on the ground continue to actively monitor threats. They are empowered to make the appropriate force protection decisions. As always, U. S. forces retain the inherent right to use force in self-defense.
"We're using all of our available tools to maintain the highest threat awareness, both in Afghanistan and throughout the globe. While this mission is not without risk, the safety of our personnel, American citizens, and Afghan evacuees at risk is of paramount importance," he said.
The US, he said, continues to make progress in the completion of this mission.
"Since the end of July, we have relocated approximately 42,000 people. Since the beginning of evacuation operations on August 14, we've evacuated approximately 37,000. All of this progress stems from the teamwork, professionalism, and dedication of our military, our interagency colleagues, and our allies, and partners," he added.
The United States is in talks with the Taliban on a daily basis through political and security channels, and is also consulting allies and partners on the ongoing evacuation progress from the Kabul airport, National Security Advisor Jake Sullivan said Monday.
He, however, reiterated the US does not trust the Taliban.
"We are in talks with the Taliban on a daily basis through both political and security channels. I'm not going to get into the details of those discussions here, to protect those discussions, which are covering a wide range of issues," Sullivan told reporters at a White House news conference.
Asked if President Biden is also likely to speak with the Taliban leadership, Sullivan said "that is not in contemplation at this time".
The US, he said, is also consulting closely with its allies and partners on the issue of the evacuation and its progress.
"We are taking this day by day. We believe we are making enormous progress," he said.
Sullivan said the conversation with the Taliban covers every aspect of what's happening in Kabul right now and what's happening at the airport; on how they need to ensure that there is facilitated passage to the airport for American citizens, third-country nationals, and so forth.
"We'll continue those conversations with them," he said.
Separately, State Department Spokesperson Ned Price told reporters at the State Department that Special US Representative for Afghan Reconciliation Zalmay Khalilzad and his team is in constant contact with the Taliban and its leadership, who have now flown to Afghanistan.
"For our part, we have been in touch with relevant and key stakeholders, individuals who are taking part in intra-Afghan discussions with the Taliban. We're not in a position to read those calls out. This has been primarily on the part of our team in Doha, our team on the ground in Afghanistan, to make sure that we have a regular line in to those Afghan stakeholders," Price said.
The United States, he said, is also in continued contact with representatives of the Islamic Republic and stakeholders who are part of this ongoing dialogue.
"What we're doing now is all we can to encourage a peaceful and orderly transition to an inclusive government with broad support. This is what we have been focused on in terms of how we are working with the parties, what we are communicating with the parties, what we're conveying to them," he said.
"But just as importantly, this has been the message that representatives of the Islamic Republic, that Taliban officials have heard from the international community, whether it was from NATO, whether it was from the G7, whether it was from the 113 countries that came together at our organization about a week ago today to press for this very outcome," Price said.
Responding to a question, Sullivan reiterated that the US does not trust the Taliban.
"The President has been very clear about his views of the Taliban.
You've asked him repeatedly, "Do you trust these guys?' And he's told you repeatedly, 'No, I do not.' Of course, he does not."
"Of course, none of us do," he said, "Because we've seen the horrific images from the last time they were in power, because we've seen the way that they've conducted this war, because we've seen the fact that they have been responsible for the deaths of American men and women through two decades of war that the President was not prepared to continue for a third decade. So, we have no illusions about the Taliban," he said.
"From our perspective, what we need to do right now is focus on our task at hand, and our task is to get thousands and thousands of people out of the country as safely and efficiently as possible. That is what we are doing and what we believe that we can achieve," he said.
A firefight outside Kabul's international airport killed an Afghan soldier early Monday, highlighting the perils of evacuation efforts even as the Taliban warned any attempt by U.S.troops to delay their withdrawal to give people more time to flee would "provoke a reaction."
The shooting came as the Taliban moved to shore up their position and eliminate pockets of armed resistance to their lightning takeover earlier this month.
The Taliban said they retook three districts north of the capital seized by opponents the day before and had surrounded Panjshir, the last province that remains out of their control.
Afghanistan's security forces collapsed in the face of the Taliban advance, despite 20 years of Western aid, training and assistance.
Tens of thousands of Afghans have sought to flee the country since, fearing a return to the brutal rule the Taliban imposed the last time they ran Afghanistan.
That has led to chaos at the airport in Kabul, the main route out of the country.
U.S. President Joe Biden has not ruled out extending the evacuation beyond Aug.31, the date he had set for completing the pullout of U.S. forces.
British Prime Minister Boris Johnson plans to press Biden for an extension.
But Taliban spokesman Suhail Shaheen, in an interview with Sky News, said Aug. 31 is a "red line" and that extending the American presence would "provoke a reaction."
Gunfire broke out early Monday near an entrance to the airport, where at least seven Afghans died a day earlier in a panicked stampede of thousands of people.
Navy Capt. William Urban, a U.S. military spokesman, said an unknown assailant shot at Afghan security forces at the airport's northern gate, leading Afghan, U.S. and allied troops to open fire in response.
He said an Afghan soldier was killed and "several Afghans" were wounded.
An Italian humanitarian organization that operates hospitals in Afghanistan said it had treated six patients with bullet wounds from the airport.
There was no comment from the Taliban, who in recent days have fired warning shots and lashed out with batons to try to control crowds swelling into the thousands outside the airport.
The tragic scenes around the airport have transfixed the world.
Afghans poured onto the tarmac last week and some clung to a U.S. military transport plane as it took off, later plunging to their deaths.
At least seven people died that day, in addition to the seven killed Sunday.
The Taliban blame the chaotic evacuation on the U.S. military and say there's no need for any Afghans to flee.
They have pledged to bring peace and security after decades of war and say they won't seek revenge on those who worked with the U.S., NATO and the toppled Afghan government.
Addressing a conference of Muslim clerics, Taliban spokesman Zabihullah Mujahid urged them to push back against Western "propaganda" about the Taliban and said the U.S. was undermining their rule by sending planes and offering Afghans asylum.
But Mohammad Khalid, another Taliban official addressing the same gathering, struck a more ominous tone, saying "history and Afghans will not forgive those who were trained in the U.S. and Europe and returned to kill their own people."
He said foreign countries should not interfere in education, asking the clerics if they would "tolerate a young girl sitting next to a boy at school."
He also praised the role of suicide bombers in forcing the U.S. to withdraw.
The divergent messages raised doubts as to whether the Taliban are fully united behind the more moderate image their leadership is projecting.
There have also been reports in recent days of the Taliban hunting down their former enemies.
German Defense Minister Annegret Kramp-Karrenbauer told the Bild newspaper that the main obstacle to getting people out was the crowds outside the airport.
Asked about Taliban assurances of safe passage to the airport she said: "So far, I can say that what we need is being granted; the danger comes more from these uncontrollable crowds of people."
As the airlift continues, the U.S. government asked for 18 aircraft from American commercial carriers to assist in transporting Afghan refugees to their final destinations after their initial evacuation.
Since Aug.14, the U.S. has evacuated or facilitated the evacuation of some 37,000 people on military and coalition flights.
Those efforts are accelerating: In the 24 hours that ended early Monday, U.S. military flights ferried about 10,400 people to safety, an official said.
Tens of thousands of people, Americans, other foreigners and Afghans who assisted in the war effort, are still waiting to join the airlift, which has been slowed by security issues and U.S. bureaucracy hurdles.
There are also concerns that a local affiliate of the Islamic State group might target the crowds outside the airport with suicide bombers or fire missiles at U.S.aircraft.
Military planes have been executing corkscrew landings, and other aircraft have fired flares upon takeoff, both measures used to avoid missile attacks.
The Taliban and IS have different ideologies and have fought in recent years, but one concern about the Taliban's takeover is that they could again shelter extremist groups.
The Taliban harbored al-Qaida while it orchestrated the 9/11 attacks, leading to the U.S. invasion in 2001.
The Taliban now say they will not allow Afghanistan to be a base for attacks on other countries.
Elsewhere in Afghanistan, the Taliban have faced limited armed resistance from fighters in Baghlan province, some 120 kilometers (75 miles) north of Kabul.
The anti-Taliban fighters claimed to have seized three districts in the Andarab Valley on Sunday, but the Taliban said Monday that they had cleared them out overnight.
Khair Mohammad Khairkhwa and Abdul Ghani Mahmood, commanders of the anti-Taliban forces, said the recent fighting had caused casualties on both sides and displaced civilians.
Mujahid, the Taliban spokesman, said the group's forces have also surrounded nearby Panjshir, the only one of Afghanistan's 34 provinces yet to fall to the Taliban.
Several Taliban opponents have gathered there, pledging to resist any attempt to take the province by force.
Mujahid said there had been no fighting in Panjshir yet and that the Taliban are seeking a "peaceful solution."
Faiez reported from Istanbul and Krauss from Jerusalem.
Associated Press writers Tameem Akhgar in Istanbul, Geir Moulson in Berlin, Jill Lawless in London and Jon Gambrell in Dubai, United Arab Emirates contributed to this report.
Quick update on evacuation:
Japan will send three military aircraft to Afghanistan starting Monday to evacuate Japanese citizens and local staff as security deteriorates following the Taliban takeover, officials said.
Defense Minister Nobuo Kishi said the planes will pick up Japanese nationals and Afghans who worked for the Japanese Embassy and development agencies.
"The local situation is rapidly becoming fluid and we are doing everything we can to get them out of the country," Kishi said.
The area around Kabul's international airport remains filled with thousands of people trying to flee the country after the Taliban takeover.
Japan closed its Kabul embassy on August 15 and set up a temporary office in neighbouring Turkey two days later, but local employees at the embassy and other Japan-related organisations remain in Afghanistan.
Kishi declined to say how many people will be evacuated, citing security reasons.
He said Japan plans to finish the evacuation before the August 31 deadline for the US troop withdrawal from Afghanistan.
Earlier Monday, Chief Cabinet Secretary Katsunobu Kato said US troops in Afghanistan are conducting aviation controls and flights are operating safely.
He said there is no sign of interference by the Taliban so far.
Japan dispatched a military transport plane to South Sudan to evacuate Japanese diplomats during that country's unrest in 2016.
France's envoy to Afghanistan says French special forces backed by the US army have helped 260 Afghans who worked with the European Union delegation to get to Kabul airport.
Ambassador David Martinon said in a tweet early on Monday that "they have been welcomed at the French Embassy's waiting area prior to boarding. Bravo to the EU".
EU foreign policy chief Josep Borrell says around 400 Afghanis who worked with the bloc's delegation are to be granted protection in Europe.
They're being sent to Spain for screening before being shared out among EU countries willing to grant them visas.
Dutch authorities say that a temporary accommodation center for Afghan evacuees at an army barracks in the northern Netherlands is full and a second location is being opened.
The government agency that houses asylum seekers said on Monday that the camp in the remote village of Zoutcamp reached its capacity on Sunday night, with the arrival of 178 Afghan evacuees.
A new accommodation center is being opened to house more Afghans at another military barracks in the central town of Zeist.
The Dutch defense ministry says it has completed nine flights out of Kabul to airports in the region since the Taliban seized control of Afghanistan.
Six flights carrying evacuees from Afghanistan have arrived in the Netherlands carrying a total of more than 800 people.
That number includes Dutch nationals, Afghans and citizens of other countries.
The UK government said on Monday that it has reinforced its staff presence in Kabul to assist with the evacuation of British nationals from the Afghan capital.
Five staff from the Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office (FCDO) have joined 14 already working on the evacuation operation in Kabul, four of them arriving on Monday morning and one on Sunday night.
"This brings the total FCDO staff currently in Kabul to 19. This includes Ambassador Laurie Bristow, staff from British Embassy Kabul and FCDO rapid deployment team members," an FCDO statement said.
"Alongside UK military, these staff are working round the clock to support evacuations on the ground in Kabul," it said.
Last week the UK government announced plans to accept up to 20,000 Afghan refugees, with 5,000 expected to arrive in the first year.
It comes as Prime Minister Boris Johnson used the UK's G7 presidency to convene an emergency meeting of world leaders on Tuesday to discuss the crisis in the region and push the US for an extension to its month-end deadline for the exit of troops from the country.
The talks between the G7 group of countries, including Canada, France, Germany, Italy, Japan, the United States and the UK, will take place virtually, with the main focus being the long-term future of Afghanistan.
Johnson has said it is vital the international community works together to ensure safe evacuations, prevent a humanitarian crisis and support the Afghan people to "secure the gains of the last 20 years".
Meanwhile, UK Defence Secretary Ben Wallace said on Monday that the UK has "hours now, not weeks" to evacuate people from Afghanistan.
Wallace said troops would leave Kabul's airport when the US withdraws, which is due to happen on August 31.
"I don't think there is any likelihood of staying on after the United States," Wallace told the BBC.
"We are really down to hours now, not weeks. We have to make sure we exploit every minute to get people out," he said.
While the UK is expected to ask US President Joe Biden for more time, a spokesperson for the Taliban has said it would not support an extension of the August 31 deadline.
Suhail Shaheen said an extension would mean extending Afghanistan's occupation, and warned of consequences if that were to change.
Germany's top military commander says he believes that about 5,000 people are waiting at the Kabul airport to be flown out.
Gen. Eberhard Zorn said Monday the figure has declined from about 7,000 at the weekend.
He says: "We are now trying internationally to reduce this number as far as possible to make room for others. and above all, ultimately to cushion somewhat the precarious accommodation and waiting situation there."
Zorn said he couldn't say what proportion of people at the airport are children or families. But he said that, on Germany's flights, about 50% of the Afghans evacuated were women.
Germany flew in supplies on Sunday in an effort to help improve the situation inside the airport.
Zorn said they included diapers, pacifiers and cuddly toys for small children, as well as food for children. More supplies are in the pipeline.
"The situation in front of the gates remains difficult, I would also call it dramatic, because the accumulation of people interested in getting into the airport grounds is enormously high (and) additional potential for violence is arising on the ground in this group," Zorn said.
(With AP Inputs)