The White House is urging journalists to help coordinate the safe evacuation of any American citizens still in Afghanistan.
White House press secretary Jen Psaki, responding to a question from Fox News’s Peter Doocy, urged reporters in the room to pass along the contact information for any Americans in Afghanistan they may be in touch with.
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She added that the United States only tracks Americans traveling abroad, both to Afghanistan and every other country in the world, through self-reporting. However, Psaki conceded that though U.S. forces in Kabul are coordinating with all Americans who have contacted them, there may be Americans in the country they don’t know about.
“Give me their contact information, and we will get in touch with them. If any of you are hearing from American citizens who can’t reach us, give me their contact information, and we will get in contact with them,” Psaki stated. “Send them to me directly, and I will get it to the right place. We are absolutely committed to this. This is an across the government commitment.”
The exchange came after Psaki suggested on Monday that it’s “irresponsible” to suggest that Americans are “stranded” in Afghanistan.
President Joe Biden is expected to announce Tuesday evening that he will not extend the Aug. 31 deadline for a full U.S. military withdrawal.
As of Tuesday afternoon, roughly 58,000 individuals had been evacuated from Afghanistan, including more than 5,000 U.S. citizens.
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You can watch the entire briefing below.
