KABUL, Afghanistan (NBC) – Thursday morning, the pace of evacuation flights out of Afghanistan is intensifying. Still, there is growing concern that Americans aren’t getting out fast enough and senior Biden administration officials now acknowledge there are signs the Taliban is blocking access to the airport in Kabul for some Afghan nationals who worked along-side u-s troops over the last two decades.
As President Biden continues to deflect criticism and defend the decision to pull troops out of Afghanistan, it’s clear Taliban fighters are tightening their grip across the region.
Inside the airport in Kabul, there are more U.S. troops and now, more evacuation flights.
Deputy Secretary of State Wendy Sherman said, “This is an all hands on deck effort and we aren’t going to let up.”
But away from the airport, checkpoints have intensified with reports of shots fired, Afhgans mauled by Taliban fighters.
In Jalalabad, witnesses say three protestors were gunned down during a protest against the new regime.
The situation is so unstable, officials now acknowledge they don’t have the manpower to ensure safe passage to the airport for Americans or the tens-of-thousands of Afghans who may be eligible for asylum.
Secretary of Defense Lloyd Austin said, “We’re going to do everything we can to continue to try to deconflict and create passageways for them to get to the airfield.”
As the tense situation continues to unfold, President Biden in an interview with ABC News defended his decision to withdraw troops and says he knew the reaction on the ground would be severe.
“The idea that somehow there was a way to have gotten out without chaos ensuing, I don’t know how that happens,” he said.
But the administration insists intelligence reports indicated the collapse would take weeks or months, insisting no one knew the country would fall in just days.
And time continues to be an issue with a White House deadline to have American troops completely out of Afghanistan by the end of the month.
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