The number of Americans who are still in Afghanistan and “ready to leave” is less than 100, Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin said.
Austin provided the update about stranded Americans during his testimony in front of the Senate Armed Services Committee on Tuesday. He was there with Gen. Mark Milley, chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, and Gen. Frank McKenzie, the leader of U.S. Central Command.
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“Currently, fewer than 100 American citizens who want to depart and are ready to leave,” he said. “We got out 21 American citizens today, along with their family members, and we’ll continue to work this, as you’ve heard us say earlier. The numbers fluctuate daily and because more people come to light as time goes by and the opportunities to safely leave.”
The United States withdrew all troops from Afghanistan on Aug. 31, a predetermined date that President Joe Biden maintained, even though not every American, third-country national, and Afghan ally at risk under the new Taliban government had been able to be evacuated yet.
U.S. and coalition forces were able to evacuate more than 120,000 people during the final two weeks of August, following the collapse of the previous government.
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Once the troops were out, remaining U.S. citizens became reliant on the State Department or private organizations to help them find their own ways out of the country, though the Taliban have intermittently prevented people from leaving the country.
