The Pentagon conceded Thursday that continuing evacuations out of Kabul after Aug. 31 “would require additional conversations” with the Taliban to ensure the safety of Americans and Afghan allies seeking to flee the country, Politico reports.
The acknowledgment comes after President Joe Biden said Wednesday he would maintain the U.S. military presence in Afghanistan beyond the end of the month — his self-imposed withdrawal deadline — if evacuation operations were not yet completed.
But Pentagon spokesperson John Kirby said Thursday there “has been no decision to change the deadline” and indicated that an extension of the timetable for evacuations would need tacit approval from the Taliban in the form of a new agreement between U.S. officials and commanders of the militant group.
Until then, “we are focused on doing everything we can inside that deadline to move as many people out as possible,” Kirby told reporters at a news briefing, describing the evacuation effort as “head down, shoulder to the wheel.”
“I think it is just a fundamental fact of the reality of where we are that communications and a certain measure of agreement with the Taliban on what we’re trying to accomplish has to continue to occur,” Kirby said. “And again, I’m not going to speculate past Aug. 31.”
