Group says retaliation can be expected if the deadline for Afghanistan withdrawal is not met.
The Taliban will not extend the August 31 deadline for the current evacuation mission. Meanwhile, thousands of Afghans are trying to flee the country, and aircraft from Delta, United Airlines, and others help those already evacuated from Afghanistan to reach final destinations.
Pentagon spokesman John Kirby said, “I’m not aware of any specific conversations we’ve had in respect to the deadline. He added that they are in “constant communication with the Taliban” about U.S. activities at Hamid Karzai Airport in Kabul.
The Taliban has warned that some sort of retaliation will be taken if the U.S. does not fully withdraw from Afghanistan by the deadline which was self-imposed by President Biden who announced in July that the United States mission in Afghanistan “will conclude on August 31st.”
Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin confirmed incidents of Taliban violence against Americans and Afghans amid the chaos. He called the encounters “tough.”
U.S. Army General Hank Taylor said the U.S. has evacuated 16,000 Afghan people in the past 24 hours alone. Around 11,000 were flown out by the American military while the rest were taken by charter and commercial flights. He said that since August 14, more than 37,000 have been taken from the Kabul airport.
As the Lord Leads, Pray with Us…
- For the United States government as it continues to evacuate Americans and its allies in Kabul.
- For Americans in outlying areas who have been told by the State Department not to try to reach the airport in Kabul.
- For President Biden, Secretary of State Blinken, Defense Secretary Austin, and others to seek God’s wisdom for the decisions they make during the evacuation.
- For God’s protection over American and allied military forces on the ground in Afghanistan.
Sources: BBC News, The Epoch Times, ABC News
