Official says US working to ensure people can leave Afghanistan post-Aug. 31

The acting ambassador to Afghanistan signaled that the administration is putting in place plans to ensure Americans and Afghan allies can leave the country following the withdrawal of U.S. troops on President Biden’s deadline of Aug. 31.

Acting U.S. Ambassador Ross Wilson said in an interview Wednesday that the Biden administration is in “nascent conversations” with the Taliban to ensure Americans still in the country after the exit of U.S. forces will be able to leave safely. 

“We believe that there will be possibilities for Americans to be able to get out of this country. That’s been part of the nascent conversations, many of which have been taking place in Doha with the Taliban, about potential ways forward,” he said in an interview with CBS’s Norah O’Donnell. 

EXCLUSIVE: Acting U.S. Ambassador to Afghanistan Ross Wilson tells @NorahODonnell that “we believe there will be possibilities” for Americans to get out of Afghanistan past the August 31 withdrawal deadline, per conversations with the Taliban “about potential ways forward.” pic.twitter.com/tyWA9JIksr

— CBS Evening News (@CBSEveningNews) August 25, 2021

The ambassador’s comments come as President Biden is facing immense pushback from lawmakers that the Aug. 31 deadline is not enough time to finish evacuating American citizens and Afghans who worked alongside the U.S. over the two-decade war. 

Lawmakers told The Hill that Biden’s top aides agree that the end-of-the-month deadline is unrealistic to finish evacuations, following a classified briefing with Secretary of State Antony Blinken, Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin and Gen. Mark Milley, chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff.

But the president is doubling down on withdrawing the military within a week, saying that the added time brings more risk from terrorist threats in Afghanistan. 

“We are currently on a pace to finish by August the 31st. The sooner we can finish, the better,” Biden said in prepared remarks from the White House on Tuesday.