President Biden said Tuesday he will not extend his Aug. 31 deadline to remove all U.S. troops from Afghanistan, saying the risk of terror attacks increases each day the U.S. remains in the country.
“Every day we’re on the ground is another day we know that ISIS-K is seeking to target the airport, attacking both U.S. and allied armed forces and innocent civilians,” the president said in remarks from the White House.
ISIS-K is an offshoot of the Islamic State, better known as ISIS, that has posed a threat to evacuation efforts. The U.S. military on Monday warned that the group was trying to carry out an attack on Kabul’s airport and urged Americans to find alternative routes.
Mr. Biden noted a gunfight outside Kabul’s airport on Monday that resulted in the death of an Afghan soldier.
“We run a serious risk of it breaking down as time goes on,” Mr. Biden said.
The president didn’t take questions after his remarks, an address that started four hours after it was scheduled and was beset by repeated delays. Mr. Biden spent nearly half of his 12-minute speech discussing his $3.5 trillion spending bill, which cleared a hurdle in a House vote on Tuesday.
Mr. Biden’s decision on the withdrawal timetable came after a Taliban spokesperson said Tuesday there will be “no extensions” of the Aug. 31 deadline and threatened reprisals if the U.S. presence extends into September.
Although Mr. Biden said he won’t budge from the deadline, he asked the Pentagon for contingency plans in case the U.S. needs to adjust that timetable. Mr. Biden said if the Taliban refuses to cooperate and blocks access to the Kabul airport, he would consider keeping troops in Afghanistan beyond that date.
The decision runs the risk of stranding Americans and Afghan allies in Afghanistan, and it drew criticism from Republicans and concern from Democrats.
“It’s hard for me to imagine all of that can be accomplished between now and the end of the month,” House Intelligence Chairman Adam Schiff, California Democrat, told reporters Monday.
Republicans blasted the decision at a Tuesday morning press conference. Rep. Mike McCaul, Texas Republican, predicted the move will lead to bloodshed.
“It will be a stain on this presidency,” said Mr. McCaul, the top Republican on the House Foreign Affairs Committee. “He will have blood on his hands. People are going to die. And they’re gonna be left behind.”
Mr. Biden had said he would consider extending the departure date past Aug. 31, but said the decision would depend on how many Americans and vulnerable Afghans needed to be evacuated.
Leaders of top U.S. allies pressed Mr. Biden Tuesday morning to extend the deadline for U.S. troops to withdraw from Afghanistan, during a virtual gathering of the Group of Seven (G7), a coalition of the world’s leading democracies.
In the conference call with other G7 leaders, Mr. Biden said the evacuation mission is “on pace” to finish by Aug. 31, the White House said. He also made it clear that each day past the deadline increases the terrorist threats to troops.
The United Kingdom, France and Germany have all publicly vented frustration with Mr. Biden as the U.S.’s bungled withdrawal from Afghanistan has left them scrambling to evacuate their own citizens.
British Prime Minister Boris Johnson and French President Emmanuel Macron have argued that leaving troops in Afghanistan for a few extra days would allow Mr. Biden to meet his original withdrawal date of Sept. 11.
The Taliban has been clear that it will not accept an extension. A Taliban spokesperson on Monday called it a “red line,” a threat the group repeated Tuesday.
“President Biden announced that on 31 August they would withdraw all their military forces. So if they extend it, that means they are extending occupation while there is no need for that,” Taliban spokesman Suhail Shaheen told Sky News on Monday.
“If the U.S. or U.K. were to seek additional time to continue evacuations, the answer is no. Or there would be consequences,” he added.
CIA Director William Burns secretly met with Taliban leader Mullah Abdul Ghani Baradar on Monday, making him the highest administration official to meet with the Taliban since the group took control of Afghanistan this month.
White House National Security Adviser Jake Sullivan appeared to push back against an extension during a White House press briefing on Monday. Mr. Sullivan noted that the number of evacuations has sped up, saying the administration can meet the Aug. 31 deadline.
“We believe that we have time between now and the 31st to get out any American who wants to get out,” he said.
Mr. Biden said the U.S. has significantly ramped up evacuation flights over the past 24 hours. Since Tuesday morning, 19 U.S. military flights and 31 coalition planes airlifted more than 12,000 Americans and others out of Kabul, he said.
“These numbers are a testament to our brave servicewomen and men,” Mr. Biden said.
A record 21,600 people were airlifted from the Kabul airport in a 24-hour period that ended early Tuesday, the White House said. About 12,700 evacuees were carried by 37 U.S. military flights and an additional 8,900 left on 57 flights by U.S. allies.
• Jeff Mordock can be reached at jmordock@washingtontimes.com.
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