We turn our attention to Afghanistan, where Afghan and American evacuations at Kabul airport were constrained by a barrage of obstacles because of the Taliban.
While the U.S. is full steam ahead to evacuate Afghans and Americans, with an August 31 deadline now looming, evacuations are expected to continue beyond that deadline.
And Vice President Kamala Harris is set to begin a southeast Asia trip to reaffirm America's commitment to human rights in Afghanistan under Taliban rule.
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Chaotic evacuations appear to be the concomitant of the abrupt end of the two-decade war between the U.S. and the Taliban.
The U.S. tried desperately to speed up evacuations in an orderly manner. But the rub is, Taliban fighters and their checkpoints have been besieging the airport. As such, many Afghans fear their past work with Western countries would make them prime targets for retribution as they try to enter the airport.
Paperwork problems also prevented some Afghans from getting on evacuation flights.
Elucidating the progress, the spokesman for the U.S. State Department said 7,000 evacuees have been airlifted so far, and in the last 24 hours, more than 2,000 have arrived at safe places, with 6,000 slated to board evacuation planes.
Ned Price, State Department Spokesman: 12 C-17s departed within the last 24 hours with more than 2,000 passengers who arrived at safe havens. Since August 14th, we've airlifted 7,000 total evacuees. I can also confirm there are 6,000 people at the airport right now who have been fully processed by our consular team and will soon board planes.
As it stands, despite the U.S. military's aircraft's capability to evacuate 5,000 to 9,000 people per day, evacuees are currently hard-pressed to reach and enter the airport, according to the Pentagon.
So, in spite of America going full steam ahead to evacuate Americans and Afghans who managed to get to the airport, it would be difficult for the United States to evacuate all Americans and Afghans who are qualified for and seeking evacuation by August 31st.
President Joe Biden had earlier promised he would ensure no American was left behind, even if that meant staying beyond August, an arbitrary deadline for American troop withdrawal. But that would at least require Taliban acquiescence.
Back at Kabul International Airport. A ragtag group of Taliban militants fired into the air yesterday to try to maintain order as men, women and children were desperate to board evacuation flights.
Meantime, additional American troops continued to arrive at the airport. As of Thursday, 5,200 troops had arrived in Kabul to help coordinate evacuations.
Eager to reassure allies of American resolve, Vice President Kamala Harris is slated to begin a southeast Asia trip, during which she will play an assertive role in evincing America's determination to make the Taliban uphold women's rights in the country, which is still widely considered a pipe dream.
Harris' trip will also encompass stops in Singapore and Vietnam, which are expected to provide her with a forum to affirm what she and President Joe Biden view as core American values, including human rights.
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