The US Defense Department, on Tuesday, said that the US military commanders at the Kabul airport are in touch with Taliban leaders as they coordinate the evacuation effort of US citizens and Afghan allies. While Pentagon spokesperson John Kirby did not delve into the details of how talks between the US and the Taliban are progressing but said that US military leaders are interacting with the Taliban “multiple times a day,” at the airport.

At a briefing on Tuesday, Kirby said that necessary interactions with Taliban leaders will continue as the US evacuates people. He also added that there have been no new hostile encounters with Taliban fighters at the airport.

When asked whether the US commanders had an agreement with the Taliban for safe passage to the airport of Afghan allies, Kirby said: “There are interactions at the airport, by our commanders, with the Taliban leaders” outside the airport.

Officials hope the pace of evacuations will pick up so that as many as 9,000 people could be taken out of the country each day.

Kirby said that Americans in Kabul no longer need to find shelter as the State Department put out a message advising the Americans to queue up and get to the airport. He said that there are approximately 5,000 to 10,000 Americans near Kabul.

“They can begin movement to the airport for processing flights out,” he added.

Kirby also said that there are no plans to help Afghans who are residing in other parts of the country get to the airport.

Kirby said that he knows the US has an “obligation” to help but “right now our focus is on the airport itself and making sure it stays safe and secure.”

“There is an awful lot that has to be done in that,” he said.

He advised people in other parts of the nation to apply for visas and consult with State Department officials to get themselves enrolled. And from there, they will see how they can be evacuated from Kabul.

“There is a process to follow and I highly encourage if they aren’t already in the system to get themselves into the system,” he said.