Pentagon has assured that the US military airlift of US
citizens and others from Kabul will go on until the final hours of the August
31 deadline set by President Joe Biden for ending the frantic evacuation from
Taliban-controlled Afghanistan.

Chief Pentagon spokesperson John Kirby said that the United States has
evacuated more than 4,400 of its citizens so far, an increase of about 400 from
Tuesday. In total, more than 80,000 people, mostly Afghans, have been airlifted
since August 14, he said.

Secretary of State Antony Blinken was to elaborate later on
Wednesday on details of the evacuation of American citizens. The State
Department is yet to publicly give the number of Americans it believes are
still hoping to leave the war-ravaged country.

Kirby said the US military will preserve as much military
airlift capacity at the Kabul airport as possible in the coming days. The
military will “continue to evacuate needed populations all the way to the
end,” he said. He added that in the final days and hours there will have
to be a balance in getting out evacuees as well as US troops and their
equipment.

Only about 5400 US troops are left at the Kabul airport, dropping
by about 400, but the final withdrawal has not yet begun, Kirby clarified.

Kirby said that in the coming days, Defense Secretary Lloyd
Austin will consult directly with General Frank McKenzie, the head of Central
Command and overseer of the evacuation operation, before McKenzie moves ahead
with the final withdrawal.

Biden said on Tuesday that although he is sticking with his
self-imposed August 31 deadline for ending the evacuation, he has asked Austin
and Blinken to provide him with contingency plans in the event that the timeline
needs to be adjusted, leaving a slight ray of hope for the extension of the
evacuation process.