On August 20, local time, a State Department spokesman answered questions on Afghanistan-related issues at a briefing.
A U.S. State Department spokesman did not directly respond to specific numbers and plans to evacuate from Afghanistan, saying only that it had contacted Americans in Afghanistan and refugees holding SIV (special immigrant visas) to investigate their willingness to leave and direct their evacuation routes.
The spokesman said the Taliban have conveyed to the United States that they have no intention of obstructing the withdrawal of the United States and those who are preparing to arrive at the local airport to evacuate, and that the United States will continue to emphasize to the Taliban the serious consequences of the withdrawal and do everything in its power to facilitate safe passage.
The U.S. is accelerating the evacuation of nearly 6,000 passengers, including Americans and Afghans, in the past 24 hours.
Bahrain, Denmark, Germany, Italy, Kazakhstan, Kuwait, Qatar, Tajikistan, Turkey, the United Arab Emirates, the United Kingdom and Uzbekistan have or will soon allow Americans to cross the border, a State Department spokesman said. In some cases, the remaining evacuees, including Afghan refugees, will also be allowed to cross the border from those countries.
