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Updated September 1st, 2021 at 06:29 IST

US says mission to evacuate Americans from Afghanistan will continue after troop exit

US National Security Adviser Jake Sullivan said that the United States also intends to continue supplying health, food, and other forms of humanitarian aid

Reported by: Srishti Goel
US
Image: AP | Image:self
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After the deadline to withdraw all American troops from Afghanistan under an agreement signed with the Taliban came to an end on 31 August, the USA said its goal to get Americans out of Afghanistan will continue.

Jake Sullivan, the US' national security adviser, informed that the evacuation effort has evolved from a military to a diplomatic mission. He noted the US' significant leverage over the Taliban to extract any remaining Americans, a figure that US officials have said is around 200.

US to continue humanitarian assistance, evacuation of citizens

According to Sullivan, the United States intends to continue supplying health, food, and other forms of humanitarian aid to the Afghan people. Other sorts of aid, including economic and developmental assistance, he claims, would be contingent on Taliban activities and adherence to publicly announced commitments.

According to the White House, American soldiers assisted in the evacuation of nearly 120,000 US citizens, foreigners, and Afghans after the Taliban reclaimed control of the country. Coalition forces evacuated their countrymen as well as Afghans. However, foreign governments and the US administration admitted that they did not evacuate everyone who wished to leave.

Taliban take over Afghanistan

After months of attacks, the Taliban took control of Kabul on 15 August. By then, Afghan cities including Kandahar, Herat, Mazar-e-Sharif, Jalalabad, and Lashkar Gah had surrendered to the militant outfit without opposition. This was followed by the evacuation of US and NATO forces from war-torn Afghanistan after 20 years. As the Taliban advanced on Kabul, Ashraf Ghani, the democratically elected President, escaped with other leaders.

Soon after the Taliban took over Kabul, chaos erupted as thousands flocked to Kabul's Hamid Karzai International Airport in an attempt to leave the Taliban's rule. US President Joe Biden has defended his decision to remove soldiers from the conflict-torn country. The Taliban is currently negotiating a "peaceful power transition" with ex-Presidents Hamid Karzai and Abdullah Abdullah. Afghans and other countries are being evacuated from Kabul airport, which was, till Monday, under the control of US soldiers.

Taliban celebrate America's exit from Afghanistan 

Taliban terrorists across Afghanistan were seen rejoicing as US soldiers exited Afghanistan after a 20-year military presence. As part of the celebrations, the terrorists were spotted shooting rifle and artillery rounds into the air. Furthermore, many of them were seen inside Kabul's Hamiz Karzai International Airport after the last American plane left Afghanistan. Some were even pictured in US Army uniforms.

(With inputs from AP, Image: AP)

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Published September 1st, 2021 at 06:29 IST

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