Source: World Wide Web
Screenshot of the Political News Network report
[Global Network report reporter Zhao Jiandong] said that "Americans were harassed and beaten by the Taliban", US Defense Secretary Austin and Biden openly contradicted.
On August 20, US President Joe Biden spoke again at the White House on the situation in Afghanistan. U.S. Vice President Harris, Secretary of State Blinken, Secretary of Defense Austin and National Security Adviser Sullivan also appeared on the same day.
On August 20, local time, US President Joe Biden once again spoke at the White House on the situation in Afghanistan. Commenting on the evacuation of U.S. citizens from Kabul, Biden said, "We've seen the challenges facing Americans, but so far we've been able to address those issues." "There is no indication that they (the Americans) cannot get into kabul airports," Biden said, "and we have reached an agreement with the Taliban." So far, the Taliban have allowed them to pass through (checkpoints). ”
U.S. Secretary of Defense Austin
"Austin retorted to Biden, saying that Americans were 'beaten' by the Taliban", the US Political News Network reported on the 20th, US Defense Secretary Austin told lawmakers on the afternoon of the 20th in a conference call, "We realized that the Afghans and Americans who tried to go to kabul airport were 'harassed and even beaten by the Taliban'." "We have made it clear to the Taliban leadership that 'this is unacceptable.'" The Capitol Hill newspaper said Austin's speech contrasted with Biden's claim at the White House earlier in the day that he "can solve the challenges facing Americans today."
When the Pentagon publicly "punched" Biden, Biden's domestic public opinion support fell to the lowest since taking office, more than half of the Americans thought he was not suitable to be president, the US Republican Party threatened to investigate the withdrawal of troops, and Trump called for Biden to step down. The Taliban's "speed of light" occupation of Kabul has made Biden's withdrawal policy widely criticized, and the unsuccessful evacuation of overseas Chinese has made the Biden administration even worse, and the doubts of Western allies have also accelerated.
The deployment of six or seven thousand US troops still cannot guarantee the smooth evacuation of kabul, and the Pentagon has also been criticized, at this time, it is openly "barding" Biden, just as the saying "great trouble is coming to fly separately."
Is the Pentagon going against it?
In response to Austin's remarks, Pentagon spokesman John Kirby reiterated that the U.S. had told the Taliban that it wanted to "give documented Americans free passage through the Taliban's checkpoints," he said, adding, "Overall, these are happening." ”
At the same time, the US Embassy in Afghanistan issued a security warning on the 21st on the grounds of "potential security threats", suggesting that Americans seeking to evacuate Afghanistan avoid going to Kabul Airport. The latest security warnings say there is a potential security threat outside Kabul airport gates and advise U.S. citizens to avoid traveling to the airport at this time unless specifically instructed by a U.S. government representative. U.S. citizens who want to leave the country must fill out the Repatriation Assistance Application Form as soon as possible, not call the Embassy, which is the only way to pass on evacuation information. The latest warning from the U.S. Embassy in Afghanistan highlights the ongoing security problems facing the United States and other countries after the Taliban took over Afghanistan, the Capitol Hill said. Just three days ago, the U.S. Embassy warned that the U.S. "cannot ensure" safe passage to kabul airports. "The security situation in Kabul continues to change rapidly, including at the airport".
According to the Capitol Hill, US State Department spokesman Price said on the 20th that since August 14, about 13,000 people have withdrawn from Afghanistan, and the US military has evacuated 5,700 people in the past 24 hours. Previous reports showed that Kabul International Airport had an extremely chaotic scene a few days ago, and Biden said in his speech on the 20th that the United States was completing "one of the most difficult airlift missions in history." Biden promised to use all U.S. forces to complete the evacuation, bringing Americans and their Afghan allies to safety. "When all this is over, we will complete the withdrawal and finally end 20 years of U.S. military operations in Afghanistan."
According to the Associated Press, on the 21st, thousands of Afghans still gathered around kabul airport, hoping to board evacuation flights from Britain, the United States and other Western countries, and British troops tried to appease some people who hoped to evacuate from the country. Gulf state Bahrain announced on the same day that it would allow evacuation flights to use its transit facilities. The UAE said it could temporarily admit about 5,000 Afghans who plan to travel to other countries.