The exact number of U.S. citizens in Afghanistan as the Biden administration scrambles to complete evacuations out of the Kabul airport remains a mystery.
Top government officials are increasingly facing this question with the approach of the Aug. 31 deadline to withdraw all U.S. military forces from the country following the swift Taliban takeover this month, which prompted President Joe Biden to send back thousands of troops to assist with evacuations.
“Many people have asked, reasonably, why we cannot provide a precise number of American citizens still in-country. Let me explain. When Americans have come to Afghanistan over the years, we asked them to register with the embassy. Many have left without de-registering; others never register at all. That is their right, of course. And it’s our responsibility to find them, which we are now doing hour by hour,” White House national security adviser Jake Sullivan said on Monday.
Estimates are out there, even if names are not attached. Between 10,000 and 15,000 U.S. citizens were believed to be in the country when evacuations began, U.S. officials told the Wall Street Journal.
SCHIFF SAYS AFGHANISTAN EVACUATIONS BY AUG. 31 DEADLINE ‘VERY UNLIKELY’
On Saturday, the Pentagon said 2,500 U.S. citizens were evacuated, and Pentagon spokesman John Kirby would only say “several thousand” in providing an update on Monday. He attributed his refusal to get any more specific to a “fluid” number that “literally changes nearly by the hour.”
The White House has provided daily updates on total evacuation figures, including Afghan allies who helped U.S. forces during the 20-year war in Afghanistan, and their families.
“From August 23 at 3:00 AM EDT to August 23 at 3:00 PM EDT, a total of approximately 10,900 people were evacuated from Kabul. This is the result of 15 U.S. military flights (all C-17s), which carried approximately 6,660 evacuees, and 34 coalition flights, which carried 4,300 people,” the White House press shop said on Monday. “Since August 14, the U.S. has evacuated and facilitated the evacuation of approximately 48,000 people. Since the end of July, we have re-located approximately 53,000 people.”
Biden said on Sunday there were discussions with military officials about extending the Aug. 31 deadline. The Taliban have warned there will be “consequences” if the U.S. is not gone by the deadline.
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House Intelligence Committee Chairman Adam Schiff cast doubt on the ability of the United States to complete evacuations by the end of the month, saying it is “possible” but “very unlikely given the number of Americans who still need to be evacuated, the number of SIV’s, the number of others who are members of the Afghan press, civil society leaders, women leaders.”
“I am encouraged to see the numbers of people evacuated, increasing readily to the point where we evacuated 11,000 people in a single day,” the California Democrat added after walking out of a classified briefing. “Nonetheless, given the logistical difficulties of moving people to the airport and the limited number of workarounds, it’s hard for me to see that being fully complete by the end of the month.”
