Biden to address the nation Tuesday on Afghanistan withdrawal
The Pentagon on Monday warned that there is still an "active threat" in Kabul that "remains high and remains real," while confirming that U.S. troops will leave Afghanistan by President Biden’s Aug. 31 deadline.
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Taliban takes over airport from Americans
Blinken pledges support to Americans left in Afghanistan after withdrawal: 'We will help them leave'
Secretary of State Tony Blinken pledged ongoing support to what he described as the "small number of Americans" still in Afghanistan after the last U.S. troops departed the country on Monday.
Blinken said the State Department does not have an exact figure on the number of Americans still in the country, though it is believed to be "under 200 and likely closer to 100." He added that efforts to determine an exact number were complicated by "longtime residents of Afghanistan who have American passports and are trying to determine whether or not they want to leave."
"Our commitment to them, and to all Americans in Afghanistan and everywhere in the world, continues. The protection and welfare of Americans abroad remains the State Department’s most vital and enduring mission," Blinken said. "If an American in Afghanistan tells us that they want to stay for now and then in a week or a month or a year they reach out and say, ‘I’ve changed my mind,’ we will help them leave."
Retired SEAL recalls US troops saving Iraqi soldiers as Afghanistan evacuation deadline nears
The last U.S. warplane carrying American troops left Afghanistan Monday after 20 years, and retired U.S. Navy SEAL Jocko Willink reminded host Dan Bongino on Fox Nation’s "The Dan Bongino Show" how America should always respect those in harm’s way.
Willink: I was going to bring this up the other night. I heard you, before I came on, I heard you talking and you were talking about the fact that we were leaving people behind. And I wanted to mention this story. When I was in Iraq, I was in the battle of Ramadi, and there was a situation where there was a gunfight and there were some Iraqi soldiers, some friendly Iraqi soldiers got wounded and were laying in the street. And two of my guys, two American SEALs, put down cover fire, ran out into the middle of the street during a gunfight to grab these two guys, bring them back to safety, totally put their lives at risk. Both those guys ended up receiving the Silver Star for that action.
US Gen. McKenzie says Taliban were 'helpful and useful' in final hours of evacuation
CENTCOM Commander Gen. Kenneth McKenzie said the Taliban were "helpful and useful when we closed down operations."
"They established a firm perimeter outside of the airfield to prevent people from coming on the airfield during our departure," McKenzie said of the Taliban Monday. "They did not have direct knowledge of our time of departure, we chose to keep that information very restricted. But they were actually very helpful and useful to us as we closed down operations."
Biden releases statement on decision not to extend evacuation beyond Aug. 31 deadline
President Biden issued a statement promising to address the American people on his decision not to extend evacuations from Kabul past the Aug. 31 deadline.
"Tomorrow afternoon, I will address the American people on my decision not to extend our presence in Afghanistan beyond 8/31," Biden said in the statement. "For now, I will report that it was the unanimous recommendation of the Joint Chiefs and of all of our commanders on the ground to end our airlift mission as planned. Their view was that ending our military mission was the best way to protect the lives of our troops, and secure the prospects of civilian departures for those who want to leave Afghanistan in the weeks and months ahead."
"I want to thank our commanders and the men and women serving under them for their execution of the dangerous retrograde from Afghanistan as scheduled – in the early morning hours of August 31st, Kabul time – with no further loss of American lives," Biden said. "The past 17 days have seen our troops execute the largest airlift in US history, evacuating over 120,000 US citizens, citizens of our allies, and Afghan allies of the United States. They have done it with unmatched courage, professionalism, and resolve. Now, our 20-year military presence in Afghanistan has ended."
Biden breaks promise to 'stay' in Afghanistan until every American evacuated
President Biden appears to have broken his promise to stay in Afghanistan until every American is evacuated.
Marine Corps Gen. Kenneth F. McKenzie Jr. announced Monday evening that the last of the U.S. troops stationed at the Kabul airport had left, completing the military’s drawdown in the country, even though hundreds of Americans likely remain.
McKenzie, commander of U.S. Central Command, said some American citizens who wanted to leave Afghanistan remain in country.
Taliban brags: US troops left Kabul, Afghanistan 'gained full independence'
The official Twitter account of the Taliban in Afghanistan celebrated the final withdrawal of U.S. troops from Kabul in the wee hours of Tuesday morning, Afghanistan time.
"The last American soldier left Kabul airport at 9pm Afghan time tonight and our country gained full independence. Thank God and blessings," the Taliban account tweeted.
CENTCOM commander says Taliban were 'helpful' as U.S. closed down evacuation effort
CENTCOM Commander Gen. Kenneth McKenzie said the Taliban were “helpful and useful when we closed down operations."
McKenzie said Taliban were not made aware of exactly when the last U.S. forces would leave.
“They did not have direct knowledge,” of our departure McKenzie said.
The general added that the ISIS threat to the operation remained “very real” until the end.
“Overwhelming” U.S. air power was overhead during the final days of the evacuation.
No American citizens were on final five flights departing Kabul
No U.S. citizens were aboard the finial five military flights leaving Kabul, according to CENTCOM Commander Gen. Kenneth McKenzie.
McKenzie said the last U.S. citizens to left 12 hours before the final five military flights.
The U.S. left behind the C-RAM (counter-artillery, artillery and mortar) system that was used to shoot down rockets, dozens of armored Humvees and some aircraft. McKenzie said all of the equipment was no longer mission capable.
McKenzie said the Taliban had been “business-like” during the U.S. evacuation effort.
“There was no discussion of turning anything over” to the Taliban, McKenzie said.
Task Force Pineapple: teacher, an ex-Green Beret, among US vets assisting Afghanistan evacuations
A former U.S. Army Green Beret-turned social studies teacher who is helping facilitate evacuations from Afghanistan told Fox News on Monday that he and other special forces personnel are "playing the long game" and "are not leaving [anyone] behind" as the Aug. 31 deadline for American troops to leave the country is now only hours away.
Zac Lois and other American veterans have banded together as Task Force Pineapple, establishing a "Pineapple Express" pipeline to Kabul’s airport and other parts of the country that he says has brought more than 1,000 people to safety, including American citizens, Afghan special forces soldiers and government officials, and other foreign nationals.
"We have developed kind of an underground railroad, we have shepherds that guide flocks... its special operations personnel coaching, teaching, guiding and advising in most cases our brothers that we served with," Lois, who teaches eighth-graders in Syracuse, N.Y., told Fox News. "The U.S. government is sending us people as well that need help getting out, so we are in coordination and we are working with the U.S. government."
Johnson investigating report of Americans being turned away from airport, told ‘rescue is over'
Sen. Ron Johnson, a Republican from Wisconsin, is investigating reports that buses of Americans were turned away from the Kabul airport as they tried to evacuate the country last week.
Johnson sent a letter on Friday to Secretary of State Antony Blinken and Secretary of Defense Lloyd Austin regarding "troubling" news reports that "contradict the Biden administration’s narrative" on their botched troop withdrawal from Afghanistan.
The senator pointed at allegations that buses full of American evacuees were turned away from the Kabul airport in the early morning last Thursday.
Kevin McCarthy on 'Faulkner Focus': Biden 'creating another Syria' with Afghanistan withdrawal
House Minority Leader Kevin McCarthy, R-Calif., slammed President Biden and House Speaker Nancy Pelosi on "The Faulkner Focus" Monday, warning the policy on Afghanistan will likely lead to "another Syria" in the Middle East. McCarthy asked whether prisoners released in Afghanistan were involved in the attack that killed 13 U.S. service members in Kabul.
KEVIN MCCARTHY: This is the accountability that we need. This is why Congress should be in session. This is the information we should have and wherever this information takes us, that is when we should take our action about people resigning and others. Because you now have an administration made up of individuals that brought us Syria that is now creating another Syria in the Middle East.
Less than 250 Americans still in Afghanistan who want to get out
A Senior State Department official told Fox News that there is “still a small number” of Americans who remain in Afghanistan who want to leave the country.
The official said the number is “below 250,” noting that some of them have left the country in recent hours.
Psaki says administration will now allow Afghanistan to become threat to U.S.
White House Press Secretary Jen Psaki said that the U.S. will make sure terror threats do not emerge out of Afghanistan in the future.
"We are not going to do anything that's going to allow terrorists to grow or prosper in Afghanistan," Psaki said when asked if if the country is "more or less safe today than we were before the Taliban took over."
Psaki says there are still a 'small number' of Americans left in Afghanistan
White House Press Secretary Jen Psaki said there were still a "small number" of Americans that are left in Afghanistan as the deadline to leave the country passes.
Psaki did not provide a specific estimate of how many Americans remain in the country.
White House press secretary Jen Psaki holds briefing amid impending Afghanistan withdrawal deadline
Click here to watch on Fox News.