Biden: "No Extension on Afghanistan Withdrawal Deadline... Evacuation to Be Completed by End of August" (Comprehensive)

"Extended Withdrawal Could Make Kabul Airport a Terror Target"
Taliban Also Pressures "Withdrawal Deadline Must Be Met"
Concerns Over Evacuation Failure... Political Standing May Be Shaken

[Image source=Reuters Yonhap News]

[Asia Economy New York=Special Correspondent Baek Jong-min, Reporter Lee Hyun-woo] U.S. President Joe Biden announced that he will stick to the withdrawal deadline from Afghanistan despite requests from the Group of Seven (G7) and allied countries to extend it. President Biden emphasized that extending the withdrawal deadline could increase the likelihood of Kabul Airport becoming a target for various terrorist organizations. However, both allied countries and experts within the U.S. widely predict that completing evacuation by the withdrawal deadline will be impossible. If the U.S. fails to evacuate civilians by the deadline, concerns are growing that Biden’s key election pledge of a ‘restoration of alliances’ foreign policy, as well as his political standing, could be severely shaken.

On the 24th (local time), President Biden stated at a press conference held after the G7 virtual summit at the White House, "We aim to complete the evacuation operation by the August 31 withdrawal deadline," adding, "The sooner we finish, the better." Earlier, at the G7 summit, Biden had firmly maintained the existing withdrawal deadline.

President Biden said, "The longer the deployment continues, the greater the risk of terrorist attacks within Afghanistan," emphasizing, "The Islamic State (IS) affiliate terrorist group IS-K in Afghanistan currently targets U.S. and allied forces as well as innocent civilians at Kabul Airport."

[Image source=Reuters Yonhap News]

Earlier, the U.S. Department of Defense reportedly advised President Biden to maintain the withdrawal deadline due to concerns over terrorist threats. According to CNBC, CIA Director William Burns engaged in behind-the-scenes negotiations with the Taliban regarding an extension of the withdrawal deadline the day before, but with no results, which is believed to be the main factor behind the decision to stick to the deadline.

The Taliban also reiterated the need for the U.S. to adhere to the withdrawal deadline ahead of Biden’s speech that day. According to Afghan local media Tolo News, Taliban spokesperson Zabihullah Mujahid said at a press conference, "The U.S. and Western countries must strictly observe the August 31 deadline for troop withdrawal," adding, "Foreign nationals will continue to be allowed access to Kabul Airport, but to prevent personnel outflow, access for local Afghans will be controlled."

In response to concerns that time is too tight to evacuate Afghan nationals and local U.S. military collaborators, President Biden stressed that evacuation is sufficiently possible. He said, "Since the 14th, we have already succeeded in evacuating 70,700 people," and emphasized, "We will be able to evacuate everyone by the August 31 withdrawal deadline." Considering the U.S. Department of Defense’s earlier estimate of about 10,000 Americans and approximately 80,000 local U.S. military collaborators in Afghanistan, it is calculated that evacuation within a week is feasible.

[Image source=EPA Yonhap News]

However, the figure of 70,000 is more than 10,000 higher than the number announced by the Department of Defense that day, sparking controversy. Pentagon spokesperson John Kirby said at a press briefing, "Since the 14th, we have successfully evacuated 58,700 people from Afghanistan," emphasizing, "Currently, at Kabul Airport, a transport plane takes off every 45 minutes."

CNN, citing a senior U.S. government official, reported, "The figure of 70,000 appears to include not only U.S. military evacuations but also those evacuated by flights from other allied countries," adding, "The White House still does not have an accurate count of how many people remain to be evacuated from Afghanistan."

Concerns are also emerging that if the U.S. fails in evacuation operations after the withdrawal deadline, President Biden’s political standing could suffer a significant blow. This is because there is a possibility that the alliance restoration policy, a foreign policy emphasized as a key election pledge by Biden, could collapse.

The British daily The Guardian strongly criticized, "President Biden’s insistence on the withdrawal deadline is like pouring salt on the wounds of European leaders who are already hurt," and added, "At the very least, it dashed hopes that President Biden would acknowledge the damage caused during the Afghanistan withdrawal process."

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