Evacuations out of Hamid Karzai International Airport in Kabul have slowed down as multiple governments warned of a possible terror attack.
U.S. and coalition forces evacuated 13,400 people on 91 flights from 3 a.m. on Aug. 25 to the same time a day later, according to a White House official. There were 17 U.S. military flights carrying 5,100 evacuees during the same time frame.
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The number represents a significant drop compared to the total evacuations on previous days.
There were approximately 19,000 people evacuated on 90 flights Tuesday, around 21,600 individuals on 94 flights Monday, and close to 16,300 on 89 flights Sunday. Since Aug. 14, the United States has evacuated or facilitated the evacuation of approximately 95,700 people, with approximately 101,300 people having been relocated since the beginning of the month.
Maj. Gen. Hank Taylor, deputy director of the Joint Staff for regional operations, told reporters at Pentagon briefings this week that flights out of Kabul occurred every 45 minutes on Tuesday and every 39 minutes on Wednesday.
During Tuesday’s briefing, Pentagon spokesperson John Kirby said keeping that pace up is “definitely the plan.” He added that the military’s “plan is to continue this pace as aggressively as we can.”
The U.S. Embassy in Kabul warned of “security threats outside the gates of Kabul [the] airport” on Wednesday night and urged American citizens to avoid traveling to the airport.
“U.S. citizens who are at the Abbey Gate, East Gate, or North Gate now should leave immediately,” a security alert from the embassy read.
Specific details about the threats were not revealed in the alert, but the United Kingdom’s Foreign, Commonwealth, and Development Office issued a similar warning.
“The security situation in Afghanistan remains volatile. There is an ongoing and high threat of terrorist attack. Do not travel to Kabul Hamid Karzai International Airport. If you are in the area of the airport, move away to a safe location and await further advice,” updated guidance from the office said.
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The U.S. will withdraw troops from Kabul by Aug. 31, a self-imposed deadline issued by President Joe Biden that he has stuck to despite pressure from other officials.
“The longer we stay, starting with the acute and growing risk of an attack by a terrorist group known as ISIS-K, an ISIS affiliate in Afghanistan — which is the sworn enemy of the Taliban as well — every day we’re on the ground is another day we know that ISIS-K is seeking to target the airport and attack both U.S. and allied forces and innocent civilians,” Biden said at a press conference earlier this week detailing the threats around the airport.
To date, approximately 4,500 Americans have been evacuated from Kabul and around 1,500 remain, Secretary of State Antony Blinken said at a Wednesday press conference.
