According to a report from Al Arabiya titled "Pentagon: Approximately 6,000 U.S. Soldiers at Kabul Airport to Evacuate Crowds," it was highlighted that despite the ongoing influx of crowds to Kabul's airport seeking to flee the country following the Taliban's takeover, there has been sharp criticism directed at the U.S. administration and NATO forces for their failure to expedite the evacuation of thousands of foreign and Afghan citizens alike. The Pentagon announced that about 6,000 U.S. soldiers are now at Hamid Karzai Airport to provide assistance.
An American official mentioned today, as reported by Reuters, that there are approximately 5,800 U.S. soldiers currently at the airport to support evacuation efforts. U.S. Secretary of Defense Lloyd Austin had ordered the deployment of around 6,000 soldiers to Kabul, a number expected to be reached within the coming hours.
Regarding the evacuation of civilians, it was noted that the Pentagon announced yesterday that the U.S. military has intensified its evacuation operations, with 7,000 civilians having been evacuated from the country since August 14. Major General Hank Taylor stated in a press conference that 12 C-17 aircraft had left Afghanistan carrying 2,000 evacuees in the past 24 hours. He further explained that the military "now has enough aircraft to evacuate between 5,000 to 9,000 people daily, depending on the number of eligible individuals and other factors such as weather."
Pentagon Press Secretary John Kirby indicated that the U.S. has not faced any hindrances from the Taliban in preventing American citizens from leaving. Additionally, Kirby declined to comment on whether he believes it will be necessary to continue evacuation operations beyond August 31, as previously suggested by President Joe Biden, who stated in a television interview yesterday that he would continue military evacuation operations for Americans until everyone who wishes to leave has been evacuated.
These statements come after the Kabul airport experienced chaotic scenes as thousands of Afghans and other civilians attempted to board flights out of the country following the Taliban's assumption of power since Sunday.
