Commander Says US Military Is Relying On Taliban Protection In Kabul – The Federalist

General Kenneth McKenzie Jr. told reporters Thursday military evacuation efforts in Kabul depended on Taliban protection after a pair of ISIS suicide bombings killed at least 12 U.S. servicemembers and dozens of civilians.

We expect those attacks to continue and we are doing everything we can to prepare for those attacks, McKenzie said at a Pentagon press briefing. That includes reaching out to the Taliban who are actually providing the outer security at the airport.

According to Politico, U.S. officials have shared intelligence with Taliban officials identifying those who have been cleared for evacuation.

Thursdays military casualties are the first since two service members were fatally shot in February last year, where six others were wounded in the same operation. Afghan authorities told the New York Times another 30 to 40 were confirmed dead from the blasts in Kabul that wounded another 120.

U.S. forces are scheduled to leave the country on Aug. 31, a deadline the Biden administration haspledged to maintain at the Talibans red-line demand despite thousands poised to remain stranded under terrorist rule.

While the U.S. has depended on Taliban cooperation for evacuation efforts, the radical Islamist group has prevented people from accessing the airport, and said Tuesday it would prohibit Afghan passage.

How many Americans are still in Afghanistan is unclear. Secretary of State Anthony Blinken put the estimate at1,500on Wednesday.

The United States has evacuated more than 82,000 people from the country since Aug. 14, thevast majorityof whom have been qualifying Afghans. The U.S. embassywarnedAmericans to disperse from the airport Wednesday over the terror threat which came to fruition one day later.

Because of security threats outside the gates of Kabul airport, we are advising U.S. citizens to avoid traveling to the airport and to avoid airport gates at this time unless you receive individual instructions from a U.S. government representative to do so, read the alert.

Despite the warnings, U.S. Marines continued to process those trying to enter the airport anyway and land a seat on an evacuation flight leaving every 45 minutes.

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Commander Says US Military Is Relying On Taliban Protection In Kabul - The Federalist