U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken said the U.S. will likely not have a diplomatic presence on the ground in Afghanistan following the withdrawal of American forces on August 31.
"That’s not likely to happen," Blinken told NBC on Sunday. "What is going to happen is that our commitment to continue to help people leave Afghanistan who want to leave and who are not out by September 1st, that endures."
"And we have ways, we have mechanisms to help facilitate the ongoing departure of people from Afghanistan if they choose to leave," he added.
The Taliban (the movement banned in Russia) have given "assurances" that foreign citizens and Afghans will be able to leave the country, according to a U.S. State Department press release in conjunction with other nations.
"We have received assurances from the Taliban that all foreign nationals and any Afghan citizen with travel authorization from our countries will be allowed to proceed in a safe and orderly manner to points of departure and travel outside the country," the State Department said. "We have the clear expectation of and commitment from the Taliban that [Afghans] can travel to our respective countries."
"Of course, we don’t take the Taliban at their word. We take them by their deed, and that’s what we’re going to be looking to," Blinken stressed.
Americans and Afghan allies have faced hurdles reaching the Kabul airport in their attempts to leave after the Taliban took control of the city in mid-August.
