US President Joe Biden on Sunday said the first priority of his government is to ensure the safe evacuation of more Americans who are currently present in war-torn Afghanistan where Taliban insurgents have taken control.
“Our first priority in Kabul is getting American citizens out of the country as quickly and as safely as possible. At my direction, the State Department continues to reach out to the remaining Americans we have identified by phone, e-mail, and other means to ascertain their whereabouts and their plans,” Biden said while addressing a media conference.
“We’re executing a plan to move groups of these Americans to safety and to safely and effectively move them to the airport compound,” he said.
He said 28,000 people have been evacuated from the county since Aug 14.
“In one 24-hour period this weekend, 23 U.S. military flights — including 14 C-17s, 9 C-130 flights — left Kabul carrying 3,900 passengers. We see no reason why this tempo will not be kept up,” he said.
“Altogether, we lifted approximately 11,000 people out of Kabul in less than 36 hours. It’s an incredible operation,” he added.
On August 15, the Taliban entered Kabul.
President Ashraf Ghani resigned and fled the country to prevent what he described as bloodshed that would occur if militants stormed the city.
Many countries have since started evacuating their citizens and diplomatic personnel from Afghanistan.
Anti-Taliban demonstrations are taking place in different parts of the globe.
