US officials told ABC that Biden decided to stick to the August 31 deadline for withdrawing troops from Afghanistan, despite pressure from European allies and calls for extended evacuation times.
However, the president said contingency plans would be in place. unforeseen circumstances that could force the troops to delay after August 31 to complete the evacuation of Americans and Afghan allies.
Earlier, a Taliban spokesman said that the United States should complete the evacuation of people from Afghanistan by the originally chosen date. Zabihullah Mujahid said on Tuesday that his group will not accept «any extensions» of the deadline.
The Mujahid added that he was «unaware» of any meetings between the Taliban and the CIA, but he did not deny that such a meeting took place. Before that, according to one of the officials, on Monday the director of the American agency met with the top political leader of the Taliban in Kabul.
Previously, President Biden did not rule out the possibility of extending the deadline — saying that he wants to evacuate all US citizens and Afghans from the risk group who seek to leave the country.
The evacuation continues amid reports of Taliban persecution of US allies and the previous government, as well as mass executions. The reports are “credible,” says UN High Commissioner for Human Rights Michelle Bachelet.
Other human rights abuses have also been reported, including restrictions on women and the recruitment of child soldiers, she told the UN Human Rights Council .
