- What the German Chancellor thinks of the Taliban and how to deal with them
- Biden talks about the August 31st deadline for evacuation flights
More than 80,000 people have been evacuated since August 14th, but huge crowds remain outside Kabul airport hoping to flee the threat of reprisals and repression in Taliban-ruled Afghanistan. Huge crowds remain outside Kabul airport hoping to flee the threat of reprisals and repression in Taliban-ruled Afghanistan. Biden said Tuesday the United States would stick to his August 31 deadline to completely withdraw its troops despite warnings from European allies that not all vulnerable Afghans would be able to leave by then. “The sooner we can finish, the better… each day of operations brings added risk to our troops,We are currently on the pace to finish by August 31.” Biden said Tuesday.
On Wednesday, German Chancellor Angela Merkel said the international community must maintain dialogue with the Taliban if it is to protect any progress made over the past 20 years.Biden said the Taliban were taking steps to assist, but there was also an “acute and growing risk” of an attack by the regional chapter of the Islamic State jihadist group. The Taliban spokesman on Tuesday urged skilled Afghans to not flee, saying the country needed “expert” Afghans such as doctors and engineers.
