US Scrambles To Complete Afghanistan Pullout As Threat Of Attacks Rises

The Taliban said earlier on Tuesday that all foreign evacuations from the country must be completed by Aug. 31, and asked Washington to stop urging highly skilled Afghans to leave the country.

President Joe Biden said on Tuesday the United States is on pace to finish evacuations from Afghanistan by Aug. 31, but left open the chance of extending the deadline, saying reaching that goal depends on cooperation from the country's new Taliban rulers. The Taliban said earlier on Tuesday that all foreign evacuations from the country must be completed by Aug. 31, and asked Washington to stop urging highly skilled Afghans to leave the country. In remarks at the White House, Biden said the United States was racing to meet that deadline as concerns mount over the threat of terrorist attacks. "The sooner we can finish, the better," Biden said. "Each day of operations brings added risk to our troops."