White House National Security Adviser Jake Sullivan speaks during the daily press briefing at the White House in Washington, D.C. (Photo by Drew Angerer/Getty Images)
The Biden administration insisted it would hit the quickly approaching deadline of August 31 to evacuate all Americans out of Afghanistan. Speaking during a White House press briefing on Monday, National Security Adviser Jake Sullivan said he saw no need to extend the deadline.
However, Sullivan went on to admit the White House didn’t know how many Americans were still stranded in the country.
“Many people have asked, reasonably, why we cannot provide a precise number of American citizens still in country,” he stated. “Let me explain. When Americans have come to Afghanistan over the years, we asked them to register with the embassy. Many have left without deregistering. Others never registered at all.”
Since August 14, the U.S. has evacuated and facilitated the evacuation of approximately 48,000 people. Since the end of July, we have re-located approximately 53,000 people.
— The White House (@WhiteHouse) August 23, 2021
Sullivan added the Biden administration has been in daily communication with the Taliban and the terrorist group ensured safe passage to the Kabul airport amid evacuations.
Source: One America News Network
