Blinken: "1,500 Americans in Afghanistan... 500 to Return Soon"

Start of US Troop Withdrawal

U.S. Secretary of State Tony Blinken is holding a press conference on the evacuation of Americans in Afghanistan.
[Image source=AP Yonhap News]

[Asia Economy New York=Correspondent Baek Jong-min] U.S. Secretary of State Tony Blinken stated that approximately 1,500 Americans remain in Afghanistan. The U.S. must repatriate all of them by the end of today, the deadline for withdrawal and civilian evacuation.

At a press conference on the 25th (local time), Secretary Blinken explained that about 6,000 U.S. citizens had wished to return to the U.S. as of the 14th, and so far, around 4,500 have been repatriated.

Secretary Blinken said that among the remaining 1,500 Americans, about 500 hope to return soon. He said, "In the past 24 hours, I have directly contacted about 500 Americans and provided specific instructions on how to safely arrive at the airport."

He added that they are also maintaining regular contact with the remaining 1,000.

The U.S. Department of Defense stated that with the withdrawal deadline approaching, the last two days will prioritize the withdrawal of U.S. troops and equipment.

Department of Defense spokesperson John Kirby said that evacuation of refugees at Kabul airport will continue until the withdrawal deadline on the 31st, but the last two days will prioritize the withdrawal of U.S. troops and equipment. However, Kirby clarified that focusing on troop withdrawal does not mean they will stop evacuating refugees.

According to the White House, in the past 24 hours, U.S. and allied forces have mobilized 90 aircraft to move about 19,000 people out of Afghanistan.

Since the end of July, a total of approximately 87,900 people have been evacuated from Kabul airport.

The U.S. troops who were rushed to Kabul airport for the evacuation operation have also begun withdrawing. Fox News, citing U.S. officials, reported that more than 400 U.S. troops have already left. Currently, 5,400 U.S. troops remain at Kabul airport. The number of civilians waiting at Kabul airport is estimated to be over 10,000.

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