Chairman of the House Intelligence Committee: The evacuation is highly unlikely to be completed by the 31st

WASHINGTON, Aug 24 (Reuters) – U.S. House intelligence committee chairman Adam Schiff told reporters on Wednesday that he thought the chances of the U.S. withdrawal from Afghanistan being completed by the August 31 deadline were very low.

“Given the number of Americans who still need to evacuate, I think it’s highly unlikely that the evacuation will be completed by 31 days,” Schiff said. ”

U.S. President Joe Biden said Tuesday that he still hopes to end the U.S. military mission in Afghanistan by August 31 as planned, Xinhua reported earlier. However, tens of thousands of people are still stranded at Kabul airport awaiting evacuation, and the U.S. military presence is likely to be extended.