Western nations rushed to evacuate people from Afghanistan but acknowledged that many Afghans who helped during two decades of war would be left behind to face an uncertain fate under the Taliban when foreign troops leave next week.
The effort was taking place against a chaotic backdrop in the capital, Kabul, and its airport, where a massive airlift of foreign nationals and their families as well as some Afghans is underway and due to last until Tuesday.
Pressure to complete the evacuations has intensified amid concerns about the security situation outside the airport, where the Taliban are in control.
In an alert issued on Wednesday evening, the US Embassy in Kabul advised US citizens to avoid travelling to the airport. It said those already at a number of the airport’s gates should leave immediately. It did not give a reason why the alert was issued.
US President Joe Biden has ordered all troops out of the country by the end of the month, spurning pleas from European allies for more time to get people who helped NATO countries during the conflict to safety.
In the 10 days since the Taliban swept into Kabul, the United States and its allies have mounted one of the biggest air evacuations ever, bringing out more than 88,000 people, including 19,000 in the past 24 hours. The US military says planes are taking off the equivalent of every 39 minutes.
Biden, implementing a withdrawal negotiated by his predecessor, Donald Trump, said US troops in Afghanistan faced mounting danger if they stayed. The White House said Biden was briefed on Wednesday on contingency plans for the Afghanistan evacuation as well as the threat from the ISIS-K militant group.
Britain’s Foreign Office said the security situation in Afghanistan remained volatile, with a “high threat of a terrorist attack.” Early Thursday, Australia’s Minister for Foreign Affairs Marise Payne similarly warned of a high threat of a terrorist attack near the airport in Kabul, as Canberra urged its citizens and those with a visa for Australia to evacuate the area.
