No rush: Blinken says US in contact with Americans left behind in Afghanistan, no deadline to free them
The United States is staying in “constant contact” with Americans left behind during President Biden’s frantic evacuation from Afghanistan who still wish to leave, Secretary of State Antony Blinken said Friday, offering no timeline for freeing them from Taliban rule.
On Tuesday, the US completed pulling all troops from the 20-year war, and ended their initial evacuation efforts for all Americans and Afghan allies in the country.
US troops helped evacuate more than 116,000 people from Kabul, as the Taliban took over the country, including 6,000 Americans. However, at least 100 Americans remain in the country, and a clear plan or timeline for helping them leave has not been publicly released.
Without specifying an exact number, Blinken told reporters Friday that the US is in constant contact with those Americans who “may still wish to leave,” and case management teams have been assigned to each remaining American citizen. The secretary of state was not pushed to specify how many Americans are left.
Blinken explained that most Americans remaining in the country are dual nationals living with their families, making it a “wrenching decision” on whether to leave or not.
more
https://nypost.com/2021/09/03/us-in-contact-with-americans-left-behind-in-afghanistan-blinken/
