US Considers Mobilizing Civilian Aircraft and Additional Troops for Afghan Civilian Evacuation

[Asia Economy New York=Correspondent Baek Jong-min] Western countries including the United States have even deployed civilian aircraft to evacuate civilians from Afghanistan, which is controlled by the Taliban. The U.S. is also considering additional troop deployments.

According to the White House on the 22nd (local time), 7,800 people were evacuated within 24 hours starting from 3 a.m. on the 21st. Of these, 3,900 were evacuated by the U.S. using transport planes, and the remaining 3,900 were evacuated by other countries deploying military and civilian aircraft.

A U.S. soldier is holding a child at Kabul International Airport, the capital of Afghanistan.
[Image source=AP Yonhap News]

The U.S. is in an emergency situation evacuating its citizens and Afghans who cooperated with the U.S. as the Taliban took control of Afghanistan even before the U.S. troop withdrawal was completed.

U.S. Secretary of Defense Lloyd Austin ordered the deployment of 18 civilian aircraft from airlines such as American Airlines and Delta Air Lines in addition to 150 military aircraft deployed by the U.S. military. This is the third time the U.S. has deployed civilian aircraft since the Gulf War and the Iraq War. These aircraft are used to transport refugees moved to U.S. military bases in Europe and the Middle East.

Secretary Austin appeared on ABC News and stated that they will continue to seek other solutions creatively to bring refugees to the airport.

Jake Sullivan, White House National Security Advisor, hinted at the possibility of additional troop deployments in an interview with NBC News. He said, "Currently, we believe we have sufficient forces on the ground, but President Joe Biden asks the military command daily whether additional troops are needed." He added, "So far, the answer has been 'no,' but he will ask again today."

The U.S. has temporarily redeployed 6,000 troops to Kabul Airport ahead of the withdrawal deadline at the end of this month.

However, as Afghans desperately flock to the airport to escape, causing increased chaos and raising the possibility of terrorism, the need for additional troop deployments is emerging.

The political media outlet The Hill reported, "Sullivan's remarks came a week after the Taliban took control of Kabul," and "He did not rule out the possibility of additional troop deployments to secure the airport."

There are also views that completing the withdrawal by the initially targeted date of August 31 will not be easy. Secretary Austin said he plans to present a recommendation on whether to extend the deadline.

The Group of Seven (G7) will hold an emergency summit via video conference on the 24th to discuss the Afghanistan situation.

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.