Washington (US): US Secretary of State Antony Blinken on Wednesday said that the Taliban has allowed US citizens and at-risk Afghans to leave the war-torn nation after the August 31 US withdrawal deadline. The US diplomat also added that 4500 out of 6000 American citizens identified in Afghanistan have been evacuated, and that an estimated 1,500 Americans are still waiting to be evacuated.
"The Taliban have made public and private commitments to provide and permit safe passage for Americans, for third-country nationals, and Afghans at risk going forward past August 31. The United States, our allies and partners, and more than half of the world's countries 114 at all issued a statement, making it clear the Taliban that they have a responsibility to hold to that commitment and provide safe passage for anyone who wishes to leave the country, not just for the duration of our evacuation relocation mission, but for every day thereafter," Blinken said.
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The US Secretary of State also said that the evacuation operations are being carried out at a very high risk with all precautions being taken as Afghanistan is now being controlled by the Taliban and that there are possibilities of an ISIS attack.
"There is no deadline on our work to help any remaining American citizens who decide they want to leave to do so, along with many Afghans who have stood by us over these many years, and want to leave, and have been unable to do so. That effort will continue, every day, past August 31. Approximately, 19,000 people were evacuated on 90 US military and coalition flights, only the United States could organize and execute a mission to this scale," Blinken added.
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Amid Afghan crisis, the G-7 countries are united on its stand on Taliban and they agreed that the legitimacy of any future government in Afghanistan depends on the armed group's approach to prevent the war-torn nation from being used as a "base for terrorism, US President Joe Biden had said. He confirmed he is currently on pace to finish by August 31 and provided an update on progress in evacuating Americans who want to come home.
Earlier, Taliban spokesman Zabihullah Mujahid in a news conference in Kabul said that the US must stick to its self-imposed deadline. Any decision by the US to stay longer could led to a war between them and the US troops who are executing the airlift at Kabul airport, the Taliban had said.
(With agency inputs)
