What happens after Joe Biden's US troops leave Afghanistan - explained

US President Joe Biden has decided not to extend his August 31 deadline for completing the US-led evacuation of Americans and Afghan allies from Afghanistan. But within the stipulated deadline, it's unlikely that the US will be able to evacuate all who are on the list. Here's an explainer on the situation, and what will happen next post US troops' withdtawal

President Joe Biden on Tuesday (August 24) stuck by his plan to remove the nearly 6,000 US troops from Afghanistan by the end of August, contingent on whether the Taliban cooperates to allow the evacuation of more Americans and their Afghan allies. Biden announced a plan in April to withdraw 2,500 US troops who were still in Afghanistan after a 20-year war, but was forced to send thousands more back to evacuate those at risk as the US-backed government and military quickly collapsed. The chaotic and perilous evacuation from Kabul airport that ensued has unleashed a wave of criticism and presented Biden with his biggest crisis since taking office in January. What happens next? US officials say the troop withdrawal must begin no later than Friday (August 27) to be completed by August 31 and it will take several days. The troops at Kabul airport include Marines and paratroopers. As they pack up their equipment and withdraw, the pace of evacuations by US and allied forces - which reached 20,000 a day this week - will inevitably slow. How many people can be evacuated by the deadline? Since August 14, more than 70,000 people, including American citizens, NATO personnel and Afghans at risk, have been evacuated from Kabul, Biden said on Tuesday. Biden has said the United States will evacuate any U.S. citizen who wants to leave and officials have said they will evacuate as many at-risk Afghans as possible. Pentagon spokesman John Kirby said the Pentagon believes it has the ability to get all Americans who want to leave out by Aug. 31 and U.S. officials say 4,000 Americans have been evacuated so far, but they do not know how many are still in the country, as not all registered with the U.S. embassy. The Pentagon has also committed to evacuate the roughly 500 Afghan soldiers who have been helping to protect Kabul airport.