https://uncoverdc.com/2021/08/17/afghanistan-drawdown-the-safe-evacuation-of-thousands/
Afghanistan Drawdown: The Safe Evacuation Of Thousands
Pentagon Press Secretary Kirby relayed on Tuesday an Aug. 31 deadline to draw down operations and evacuate citizens and those with Special Immigrant Visas (SIV) in Afghanistan. Tuesday’s Pentagon press conference addressed the ongoing mission, operations, and logistics being put in place to evacuate personnel and civilians.
As explained in yesterday’s press Pentagon conference, the Biden administration has charged U.S. forces to:
“[Focus] on the present mission to facilitate the safe evacuation of U.S. citizens, SIVs and Afghans at risk—to get these personnel out of Afghanistan as quickly and as safely as possible.”
Biden also outlined his rationale and plans for the hasty departure from America’s longest war in a separate teleconference Monday afternoon. According to recent polling by the Trafalgar Group, about 69 percent of the American people disapprove of how the Biden administration is handling the exit from Afghanistan.
n Tuesday, Kirby and Army Major General Hank Taylor told reporters that:
“Yesterday, the U.S. military footprint in Afghanistan started at about roughly 2,500. And by the end of today, there will be more than approximately 4,000 troops on the ground in Kabul. Throughout the night, nine C-17s arrived delivering equipment and approximately 1,000 troops. Additionally, seven C-17s departed. These flights lifted approximately 700 to 800 passengers. And we can confirm 165 of these passengers are American citizens. The rest are a mix of SIV applicants, third-country nationals. Americans were evacuated overnight.”