Adam Schiff warns it's 'unlikely' Biden will rescue all Americans and Afghan allies before August 31 deadline after classified briefing: US military tells president to decide on extension TODAY or risk leaving troops behind
Joe Biden is 'unlikely' to meet his August 31 deadline to evacuate US citizens and their allies from Afghanistan, the chair of the House Intelligence Committee said Monday.
Adam Schiff made the grim prediction after an intelligence briefing Monday evening, as the Taliban rejected a mooted extension to the withdrawal date.
Schiff said a full evacuation was 'possible' but 'very unlikely given the number of Americans who still need to be evacuated, the number of SIV’s, the number of others who are members of the Afghan press, civil society leaders, women leaders.'
Speaking outside the US Capitol, Schiff continued: 'I am encouraged to see the numbers of people evacuated, increasing readily to the point where we evacuated 11,000 people in a single day,” Schiff continued.
'Nonetheless, given the logistical difficulties of moving people to the airport and the limited number of workarounds, it's hard for me to see that being fully complete by the end of the month. And I'm certainly of the view that we maintain a military presence as long as it's necessary to get all U.S. persons out and to meet our moral and ethical obligation to our Afghan partners.'
He added: 'Given the number of Americans who still need to be evacuated, the number of SIVs, the number of others who are members of the Afghan press, civil society leaders women leaders, it's hard for me to imagine all of that can be accomplished between now and the end of the month,' he said.
He also said that he was troubled by the idea that the Islamic State could attack the crowds massed outside Kabul airport.
'I think the threat to the airport is very real and very substantial and this has been a concern of mine for, for some days now that this would make a very attractive target for ISIS,' he said.
Adam Schiff, chair of the House Intelligence Committee, is pictured on Monday discussing the Afghanistan evacuations. He said he does not believe the process will be completed by August 31 - Joe Biden's deadline
Schiff also said that he believed there had not been an intelligence failure about the Taliban's capacity to overrun the country - implying that the Biden administration knew the risks, yet plowed ahead regardless.
'The intelligence agencies assessments of the Afghan government's ability to maintain itself became increasingly pessimistic,' he said.
'Over the course of the last six months. And there were any number of warnings that the Taliban might take over - and some that included the potential for it to be very rapid.'
Schiff spoke as military officials have warned Biden he must decide whether to keep US troops in Afghanistan by Tuesday - otherwise they will miss the deadline to leave.
CNN reported that the withdrawal decision must come within hours, to give them time to remove all 5,800 US service personnel currently on the ground in Kabul, as well as their equipment and weaponry.
Yet Schiff said he thought that was unlikely given the numbers of US citizens and those with SIVs - Special Immigrant Visas, issued to Afghans who have worked as US translators.
Schiff, a Democrat representing California, said that he did not believe there had been an intelligence failure - suggesting that the Biden administration ignored warnings about the Taliban threat
Biden, pictured on Monday, will have to decide by Tuesday whether to withdraw from Kabul as planned by August 31 or keep troops there beyond the deadline
A military transport plane launches off while Afghans who cannot get into the airport to evacuate look on, while stranded outside, in Kabul on Monday
Any decision is likely to be made at the president's daily security briefing, scheduled for 9am EST.
If Biden does decide on Tuesday that the August 31 withdrawal date is final, troops will spend just 'a few more days' evacuating Americans, as well as Afghans with special immigrant visas (SIVs).
They will then begin to draw down troops and fly them out of the Taliban controlled country, with a military source telling CNN those departures could begin by the end of this week.
Biden will address the nation at noon on Tuesday, after a meeting with G7 leaders which is likely to see him come under fire from other leaders over the United States' sudden decision to withdraw from Afghanistan.
He is coming under pressure from US allies, and from some within the US, to extend the self-imposed deadline but is not going to make a decision until his 9am Tuesday security briefing, CNN reported.
On Monday, Biden spoke to British Prime Minister Boris Johnson about the crisis. A readout of the call said the leaders 'discussed the ongoing efforts by our diplomatic and military personnel to evacuate their citizens, local staff, and other vulnerable Afghans.'
It continued: 'They also discussed plans for the G7 virtual leaders' meeting tomorrow, underscoring the importance of close coordination with allies and partners in managing the current situation and forging a common approach to Afghanistan policy.'
Biden refused to be drawn on talk of extending the deadline Sunday, as the Taliban warned of 'consequences' if US forces remain in Afghanistan.
He told reporters: 'There's discussions going on in the military about extending. My hope is we will not have to extend, but they are going to be discussions.'
Biden said any decision on staying on into September depended on the number of Americans still to be evacuated. So far, the United States has evacuated 48,000 people.
The US is unable to say how many Americans and Afghans eligible for SIVs remain in Afghanistan, although Biden last week estimated that up to 15,000 Americans required evacuation, as well as 65,000 Afghans.
Rear Adm. Peter G. Vasely, a former member of the Navy SEALs who is now the top US military officer in Afghanistan, talks daily or near daily with his Taliban counterparts regarding security measures at the airport, Pentagon officials said on Monday.
A British soldier and a member of the US armed forces are seen working around the perimeter of Kabul airport on Sunday
Admiral Vasely and Taliban commanders have worked together since the fall of Kabul on August 15 to agree terms by which Americans and some Afghan allies could reach Kabul's airport.
Admiral Peter Vasely, a former Navy SEAL who is now the top US commander in Afghanistan, is in daily talks with the Taliban
Gen. Kenneth F. McKenzie Jr., the head of the military's Central Command, first spoke to senior Taliban commanders on August 15 when he was in Doha, Qatar, to help get the evacuation effort off the ground.
The White House on Monday repeatedly refused to address the August 31 deadline to get US troops out of Afghanistan, dodging questions on the subject and snapping at reporters who asked how the government planned to save the remaining Americans stuck in Kabul.
The Taliban's spokesman issued the sternest threat yet to Biden on Monday morning, saying there will be 'consequences' if US troops - who are holed up at the airport in Kabul evacuating tens of thousands of people and fending off an increasingly desperate crowd - don't leave in the next eight days.
Biden and his administration have no idea how many Americans remain trapped in Afghanistan, unable to get to the airport to get on an evacuation flight out.
Marines with the 24th Marine Expeditionary Unit monitor the air traffic control center at the airport in Kabul on Sunday
A family walks towards a US Air Force plane on Sunday at Kabul airport for evacuation from Afghanistan
US soldiers supervise the boarding of passengers at Kabul's airport on Saturday
With no numbers on how many Americans remain in the country, much less where those Americans are, it's growing increasingly unlikely that they will be able to fulfill their promise of getting everyone out in eight days. The longer the US citizens remain behind enemy lines in Kabul, the more perilous their situation becomes.
But the president is refusing to address the increasingly dangerous situation and his team of advisors are not offering any solid information on how they're going to address it either.
Biden turned his back on reporters again on Monday after giving a speech on the FDA's approval of the Pfizer vaccine, walking away while the angry journalists shouted for answers on what he was doing to solve the escalating crisis.
He has only given a handful of remarks on the crisis, claiming he made the right decision to withdraw in every one, and insisting his administration has it under control while forgetting basic details of operations.
Shortly afterwards, National Security Advisor Jake Sullivan swerved the issue again at a briefing and Jen Psaki, the White House Press Secretary, snapped at Fox News reporter Peter Doocy for referring to Americans still in Kabul as 'stranded'.
National Security Advisor Jake Sullivan refused to say whether US troops would stay in Afghanistan after the Taliban's August 31 deadline, instead passing the issue off to President Biden who is refusing to take questions on the subject or address it
'I think it's irresponsible to say that Americans are stranded. They are not. We are committed to bringing Americans who want to come home, home,' she said.
No one in the administration could confirm how many Americans are still on the ground in Afghanistan and there are believed to be 20,000 SIV applicants waiting to get out.
Sullivan said it would be down to Biden whether troops stayed past the August 31 deadline and then refused to give information on what kind of talks US military bosses were having with Taliban chiefs to diffuse the situation. He repeated his previous warning that there was a growing threat from ISIS and Al Qaeda at the airport, but offered no solution.
Sullivan did admit that the reason they don't know how many Americans are still in Afghanistan is that the only way they keep track of them is by email and if a person leaves the country without 'checking out' officially with the embassy first, they don't know if they're still on the country or not.
'We ask them to register with the embassy...many have left without de-registering,' he said.
Despite not knowing how many there were still there or where they are, he then said: 'We believe we have the wherewithal to get Americans out.'
President Biden spoke briefly about COVID on Monday but refused to address the Afghanistan crisis or take reporters' questions. He walked away as journalists cried out for answers
As the White House refuses to answer questions, time is running out on the ground to get Americans in Kabul out and any vulnerable Afghan who wants to escape before the August 31 deadline. Above, US Marines at the airport on Sunday
There are thousands of people still at the airport waiting to be put on flights out to anywhere before the Taliban takes over for good. Many aren't being allowed on because they don't have the right paperwork
While US officials race to try to track down the remaining citizens, there is a crowd of 20,000 at the airport demanding to be put on flights out of the area.
Thirty-three C-17 jets are on the way to the airport that could carry 600 passengers each - 19,800 total - out of the dangerous city, but CNN cites an unnamed official who said the policy was changing to only allow US citizens, foreign citizens from other NATO countries, or Green Card holders through the gates.
No one from the White House, State Department or Pentagon has been able to give a number for how many American citizens remain in Afghanistan. It's unclear if or when the US will start flying Afghans out again.
Taliban spokesman Dr Suhail Shaheen (pictured) has warned of 'consequences' if Western forces stay beyond the end of the month
'We've been able to evacuate several thousand Americans,' Pentagon spokesman John Kirby said on Monday morning, without giving a number for how many remain stuck.
He added that Special Immigrant Visas for Afghans would still be processed to put vulnerable Afghans on flights.
'Afghans in need are still being processed and facilitated.
'The goal is to get as many people out as fast as possible.
'The focus is on doing this as best we can by the end of the month,' he said.
Biden had said he was confidant he would be able to rescue all remaining US citizens by August 31 and that he would do his best to get as many vulnerable Afghans out as possible, but there has been no promise the US will stay past the deadline to save Afghan refugees once all Americans are out.
Between Sunday morning and Monday morning, 10,400 people were removed from Kabul on 28 US flights - an average of 371 passengers per plane on flights that can hold 600.
This letter is a Taliban death warrant for the brother of an Afghan translator who helped the US in the war
Other NATO flights evacuated another 5,900 people.
On every US evacuation flight so far, the majority of the passengers have been Afghans. Some went to Qatar, others are in Germany and the first planes have now arrived at airbases in Texas, where refugees will be housed at Fort Bliss.
Despite the huge numbers of people leaving every day, the crowd size at the airport in Kabul is unrelenting and becoming more aggressive.
The hold-up is largely down to paperwork backlogs on the ground, with some people unable to board flights unless they are given visas. An unnamed source cited by CNN on Monday said it would take four days to make a dent in the numbers outside the airport walls.
The chaos was worsened over the weekend when the State Department started administering nameless, digital SIV visas to Afghan refugees on smartphones and computers.
The refugees screenshotted the documents and shared them with friends and family, which resulted in thousands turning up with approval to board flights.
'I don't think consular, or the administration frankly, realizes how badly they f*****d up by sending that stupid visa and letting everyone in for 24 hours straight.
'Some people are saying there's no way they'll get even those currently on airport out of here in four days,' the source said.
In the city, the Taliban - which had promised to be more moderate and modern - is already resorting to medieval violence.
Leaders have issued a death sentence for the brother of one Afghan translator who was able to get out.
Taliban fighters stand guard as Afghans gather outside the Hamid Karzai International Airport to flee the country, in Kabul on on August 21
A group of Taliban fighters recreated a fame U.S. WWII photo in a collection of propaganda footage they released this week. In their recreation (above), a group of soldiers is seen hoisting the Taliban flag while sporting U.S. weapons and gear
Taliban fighters in a vehicle patrol the streets of Kabul on August 23, 2021 as in the capital, the Taliban have enforced some sense of calm in a city long marred by violent crime, with their armed forces patrolling the streets and manning checkpoints
A family walks towards a U.S. Air Force Boeing C-17 Globemaster III during an evacuation at Hamid Karzai International Airport, Afghanistan, August 22, 2021
There are now Taliban fighters stationed directly outside the airport (shown), working alongside NATO troops
It reads: 'You have been accused of helping the Americans. You are also accused of providing security to your brother, who has been an interpreter.'
This morning, the German military tweeted that one member of the Afghan security forces at the airport in Kabul had been killed and three others were wounded by 'unknown attackers'.
Speaking last night about the situation in Afghanistan, Biden turned on his heel and ignored a reporter who shouted 'Mr President what about ISIS and the threat Americans face now?' at the conclusion of the press conference about the crisis.
Moments before the reporter asked her question, the president said 'Thank you,' in an apparent signal that the press conference had ended.
But he has since taken heat from viewers and commentators who said the question was a sufficiently important one to merit an answer.
Biden's snub came just hours after his own national security adviser Jake Sullivan told NBC News that there is a 'genuine threat' ISIS could attack the evacuation effort at Hamid Karzai Airport in Kabul.
Sullivan, who also raised the prospect of sending US troops back into Kabul, said: 'I know that the scenes around the airport are heartbreaking, large crowds of people wanting to leave.
'I know that there is complexity and there is turbulence on the ground and in Kabul, and it's very risky and dangerous because there's a genuine threat from ISIS. That is the reality of what we are up against, and I'm not going to sugarcoat that reality.'
The tragic scenes around the airport have transfixed the world, as Afghans poured onto the tarmac last week and some clung to a U.S. military transport plane as it took off, later plunging to their deaths. At least seven people died that day, in addition to the seven killed on Sunday.
The Taliban blame the chaotic evacuation on the U.S. military, saying there's no need for Afghans to fear them, even though their fighters shoot into the air and beat people with batons as they try to control the crowds outside the airport perimeter.
US and German forces joined in a gun battle this morning at Kabul airport after Afghan guards and unknown assailants exchanged fire, with one guard killed, the German army said. Pictured: British and Canadian soldiers help an Afghan climb up on the wall of a canal at Kabul Airport this morning
Kabul airport has seen chaotic scenes as tens of thousands of foreigners and Afghans seek to flee Afghanistan after the Taliban swept back to power more than a week ago. Pictured: British and Canadian soldiers stand guard near a canal at Kabul airport as a crowd of Afghans wait nearby
The shooting near the military side of the airport came as the Taliban sent fighters to the north of the capital to eliminate pockets of armed resistance to their lightning takeover earlier this mont
The Taliban have pledged amnesty to those who worked with the U.S., NATO and the toppled Afghan government, but many Afghans still fear revenge attacks. There have been reports in recent days of the Taliban hunting down their former enemies. It's unclear if Taliban leaders are saying one thing and doing another, or if fighters are taking matters into their own hands.
Over the weekend, Biden also revealed US forces may stay beyond his deadline of Aug. 31 during a speech on Sunday evening he tries to accelerate the operation to rescue Americans after days of chaos and crushes at Kabul airport.
He said that US forces had expanded the perimeter around the airport amid fears terrorists may seek to exploit the operation by attacking Americans or Afghan civilians.
But things were moving in the right direction with some 33,000 people brought to safety, he said.
'Let me be clear - the evacuation of thousands of people from Kabul is going to be hard and painful,' Biden said during a speech in the Roosevelt Room of the White House.
'No matter when it started, when we began, it would have been true if we had started a month ago, or a month from now.
'There is no way to evacuate this many people without pain and loss and heartbreaking images you see on television. It's just a fact.'
Biden said that as many as 33,000 people had been evacuated since July, including some 11,000 during a single 36-hour period.
Defense officials 'hope' they will not have to extend the evacuation operation, he added, but 'there are going to be discussions I suspect on how far along we are in the process.'
It comes as UK Prime Minister Boris Johnson has pleaded with Biden to delay the US withdrawal from Afghanistan.
As the desperate evacuation continues, the British PM will use a virtual meeting of world leaders tomorrow to push for more time to save people from the clutches of the - something the president has so far refused to commit to.
James Heappey, Britain's junior minister for the Armed Forces, said on Monday that 1,800 eligible citizens and 2,275 local allies had been identified, but more were coming forward all the time.
'We will get out as many as we possibly can,' he told Sky News.
However, ministers admitted the rescue mission is reliant on the American military retaining control of Kabul airport.
Along with losing key air support, British military officials fear Islamic State may also target UK soldiers at Kabul airport in suicide bomb attacks.
Mr Johnson said on Sunday night: 'It is vital that the international community works together to ensure safe evacuations, prevent a humanitarian crisis and support the Afghan people to secure the gains of the last 20 years.'
As the airlift continues, the US government has activated the Civil Reserve Air Fleet program, requesting 18 aircraft from US carriers to assist in transporting Afghan refugees after they are evacuated to other countries.
The voluntary program, born in the wake of the Berlin airlift, adds to the military's capabilities during crises.
Early on Monday morning, a Delta Air Lines flight landed in Dubai and later took off for Al-Udeid Air Base in Qatar, where evacuees are crowded into hangars.
A steady stream of military transport planes continue to fly people out of Kabul to airfields across the Mideast.
There also have been concerns that a local Islamic State affiliate might target the crowds outside the airport with suicide bombers or fire missiles at U.S. aircraft. Military planes have been executing corkscrew landings, and other aircraft have fired flares upon takeoff, measures used to prevent missile attacks.
Elsewhere in Afghanistan, the Taliban have faced limited armed resistance from fighters in Baghlan province, some 75 miles north of Kabul.
The fighters claimed to have seized three districts in the Andarab Valley on Sunday, but the Taliban said Monday that they had cleared them out overnight.
Taliban spokesman Zabihullah Mujahid said the group's forces have surrounded nearby Panjshir, the only one of Afghanistan's 34 provinces yet to fall to the militants.
Several Taliban opponents have gathered there, including Amrullah Saleh, the vice president in the toppled government who claims to be the acting president under the constitution.
Ahmad Massoud, son of the murdered commander of the Northern Alliance militias that partnered with the U.S. to drive the Taliban from power in 2001, is also in Panjshir.
In interviews with Arab media outlets over the weekend, Massoud said his fighters would resist any attempt to take the province by force but were open to dialogue with the Taliban.
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