Afghanistan: Joe Biden warns of ‘hard and painful’ Kabul exit for thousands waiting
- US president says may extend August 31 deadline for full US withdrawal
- Thousands still outside airport hoping to leave, situation still chaotic
Biden said the security situation in Afghanistan was changing rapidly and his administration was under no illusions about the threat from Islamic State militants in Afghanistan known as Isis-K (for Khorasan).
The Taliban, which seized power in Afghanistan last week as the United States and its allies withdrew troops after a 20-year war, fired in the air and used batons to force people to form queues outside the airport, witnesses said. On Saturday, seven Afghans were killed in a crush at the gates.
A Nato official said at least 20 people had died in the past seven days in and around the airport. Some were shot and others died in stampedes, witnesses have said.
“Let me be clear, the evacuation of thousands from Kabul is going to be hard and painful” and would have been “no matter when it began”, Biden said in a briefing at the White House on Sunday.
“We have a long way to go and a lot could still go wrong.”