Biden speech: Pentagon contradicts president and reveals Taliban beating Americans en route to airport

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'We will get you home': Biden promises to evacuate every American from Afghanistan

US President Joe Biden delivered an address to the nation for the second time this week, as the evacuation of Americans and allies from Afghanistan continues.

Mr Biden, who said this week “chaos” was unavoidable with his country's withdrawal from Afghanistan, addressed concerns about the evacuation of Americans, allies, and Afghan refugees, amid reports that the effort is falling behind.

The president vowed to Americans in Kabul “we will get you home”, but is being criticised for saying that there were no reports of people being stopped from reaching the airport by the Taliban who took control of the city on Sunday.

Reporters on the ground have many examples of people held back from accessing the airport by Taliban fighters and there are reports of physical violence and intimidation. The Pentagon then appeared to contradict the president’s statement.

Senator Lindsey Graham has threatened the president with impeachment if one American or Afghan ally is left behind in Kabul.

It remains unclear exactly how many people are awaiting airlifts from the country before an agreed deadline of 31 August, after Afghanistan fell into the hands of the Taliban last weekend.

The US military has evacuated 13,000 people since 14 August, and 18,000 since late July. In the past 24 hours 5,700 people have been airlifted as the operation begins to meet capacity levels of 5,000 to 9,000 per day as detailed by the Pentagon.

Key points

• ‘We will get you home’: Biden says 13,000 evacuated from Afghanistan and tells Americans
• Order given to recommence flights out of Kabul after pause
• American veterans scramble to save Afghan interpreters left behind by US withdrawal
• Defense secretary contradicts Biden statement on call with House lawmakers, report says

[20 August 2021 17:17 · Oliver O'Connell]

10,000 processed at Kabul Airport but nowhere to fly them

Clarissa Ward of CNN reports from Kabul:

“Soldiers by the runway at Kabul airport tell me that there are 10,000 people here processed and ready to go… but nowhere to fly them to because Qatar is refusing to accept more Afghans because they’ve reached capacity. ‘It’s abysmal… someone needs to step up.’”

[20 August 2021 17:22 · Oliver O'Connell]

US government searching for new destinations for Kabul evacuation flights

With Qatar at capacity, the US government is looking for new destinations for evacuations flights out of Kabul — including in Europe.

[20 August 2021 17:33 · Oliver O'Connell]

11 US governors ask to take 22,000 Afghan refugees

The US government said it will settle 22,000 refugees seeking asylum after fleeing from Afghanistan, with 11 state governors announcing plans to take the refugees, but questions remain about the efficacy of the resettlement process.

Anuj Pant has the story.

[20 August 2021 17:47 · Oliver O'Connell]

Report: Trump and Barr ‘deliberately targeted’ Black Lives Matter protesters

The US Justice Department and federal law enforcement “deliberately targeted” Black Lives Matter demonstrators under the “express direction” of Donald Trump and former US Attorney General William Barr, according to a sweeping analysis from advocacy group Movement for Black Lives.

Alex Woodward reports.

[20 August 2021 17:58 · Oliver O'Connell]

American veterans scramble to save Afghan interpreters left behind by US withdrawal

US veterans are furiously lobbying to help their Afghan interpreters escape the country, writes Richard Hall.

[20 August 2021 18:00 · Oliver O'Connell]

Order given to recommence flights out of Kabul

[20 August 2021 18:08 · Oliver O'Connell]

President Biden’s remarks on Afghanistan are running behind schedule.

Stay tuned.

[20 August 2021 18:18 · Oliver O'Connell]

Pentagon releases more photos from Kabul airport

They show a much calmer scene than outside of the gates where crowds are still desperately trying to make it through checkpoints.

[20 August 2021 18:24 · Oliver O'Connell]

President Biden delivers remarks - Watch Live

[20 August 2021 18:35 · Oliver O'Connell]

Biden to address chaotic Kabul evacuation, flights resume

Facing a torrent of criticism, President Joe Biden planned to speak Friday about the chaotic evacuation of Americans and allies from Afghanistan as the U.S. struggles with obstacles ranging from armed Taliban checkpoints to airport pandemonium and cumbersome red tape.

Evacuation flights at the Kabul airport had stopped for several hours on Friday because of a backup at a transit point for the refugees, a US airbase in Qatar, US officials said. However, they said a resumption was ordered in the afternoon, Washington time.

As many as three flights out of Kabul were expected in the next few hours, going to Bahrain and carrying perhaps 1,500 evacuees in all, said an official, speaking on condition of anonymity to discuss military.

In Washington, some veterans in Congress were calling on the Biden administration to extend a security perimeter beyond the Kabul airport so more Afghans can make it to the airport for evacuation. They also want Biden to make clear a 31 August deadline for withdrawing US troops is not a firm one.

The deadline “is contributing to the chaos and the panic at the airport because you have Afghans who think that they have 10 days to get out of this country or that door is closing forever,” said Rep Peter Meijer, (R-Mich), who served in Iraq and also worked in Afghanistan to help aid workers provide humanitarian relief.

Tens of thousands of people remain to be evacuated ahead of the United States’ 31 August 31 deadline to withdraw its troops from the country, although the pace had picked up overnight. A defense official said about 5,700 people, including about 250 Americans, were flown out of Kabul aboard 16 C-17 transport planes. On each of the previous two days, about 2,000 people were airlifted.

(AP)