KABUL--Western nations scrambled to evacuate people from Afghanistan on Wednesday but acknowledged that many Afghans who helped during two decades of war would be left behind to face an uncertain fate under the Taliban when foreign troops leave next week.
Although the airlift is due to last until Tuesday, the U.S. military said it would shift its focus in the final two days to evacuating its own troops. U.S. President Joe Biden has ordered all troops out of the South Asian nation by the end of the month, spurning pleas from European allies for more time to get people who helped NATO countries during the conflict to safety.
In the 10 days since the Taliban swept into Kabul, the United States and its allies have mounted one of the biggest air evacuations ever, bringing out more than 88,000 people, including 19,000 in the past 24 hours. The U.S. military says planes are taking off the equivalent of every 39 minutes.
Biden, implementing a withdrawal negotiated by his predecessor, Donald Trump, said U.S. troops in Afghanistan faced mounting danger if they stayed. The White House said Biden was briefed on Wednesday on contingency plans for the Afghanistan evacuation as well as the threat from the ISIS-K militant group.
Britain's Foreign Office said the security situation in Afghanistan remained volatile, with a "high threat of a terrorist attack."
U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken said at least 4,500 American citizens and their families had been evacuated from Afghanistan since mid-August, and the State Department was reaching out to about 1,500 who remained there. Blinken told a news conference in Washington there was no deadline for the effort to help people who want to leave, both Americans and others, and that it would continue for "as long as it takes."
The Taliban have said foreign troops must be out by the end of the month. They have encouraged Afghans to stay, while saying those with permission to leave will still be allowed to do so once commercial flights resume after the foreign troops go.
Several of Washington's European allies say they no longer have time to rescue all of the many thousands of Afghans who helped their forces and their diplomatic and aid efforts. British foreign minister Dominic Raab said the deadline for evacuating people was up to the last minute of the month. France said it would push on with evacuations as long as possible but was likely to end them in the coming hours or days. Chancellor Angela Merkel said Germany would try to help Afghans even after the deadline expired.
Tens of thousands of Afghans fearing persecution have thronged Kabul's airport seeking flights out since the takeover by the Islamist militants. On Wednesday, many people milled about outside the airport - where soldiers from the United States, Britain and other nations were trying to maintain order amid the dust and heat.
They carried bags and suitcases stuffed with possessions, and waved documents at soldiers in the hope of gaining entry. One man, standing knee-deep in a flooded ditch, passed a child to a man above.
"I learned from an email from London that the Americans are taking people out. That's why I've come, so I can go abroad," said one man, Aizaz Ullah.
While the focus is now on those trying to flee, Afghans who remain behind face a dire situation marked by a rising threat of food insecurity and disease, aid groups say. The U.N. World Food Programme estimates about 14 million people face the threat of starvation.
There are also reports of serious human rights violations by the Taliban, including executions of civilians and Afghan security forces who had surrendered. The Taliban have said they will investigate any reported atrocities.
The United Nations is leaving some 3,000 Afghan staff at its mission. A U.N. security document reviewed by Reuters described dozens of incidents of threats, the looting of U.N. offices and physical abuse of staff since Aug. 10. Gunmen have come looking for some, while others have gone into hiding.
