Military Reportedly Gives Biden Deadline on Whether to Extend Afghanistan Evacuations

Photo by SAUL LOEB/AFP via Getty Images.

Military leaders have reportedly advised President Joe Biden he will need to make a decision soon on whether to extend the deadline to withdraw forces from Afghanistan.

The president set August 31st as the deadline months ago, but with evacuations underway, there has been some discussion that the deadline could be extended to give the United States more time to get people out.

A Taliban spokesman said that the deadline is a “red line” for them.

CNN reported Monday military leaders have told the president he should decide on whether to extend the deadline by Tuesday — exactly a week before the 31st.

Military advisers have told the White House that the decision must be made by Tuesday in order to have enough time to withdraw the 5,800 troops currently on the ground, as well as their equipment and weapons. If the President agrees, the military anticipates “a few more days” of trying to evacuate as many people as possible before the drawdown of US forces begins, possibly at the end of this week.

The Pentagon’s decision-making ultimatum for Biden follows the Taliban’s declaration that the US must remove all forces by August 31 — a deadline that US military officials say they are still currently planning to meet. Biden and senior US national security officials, meanwhile, have said that if need be, the mission to extract US citizens and some Afghans could continue beyond August 31.

Another CNN report said that G7 allies plan to press Biden to extend that deadline during a virtual gathering on Tuesday morning.

As of Sunday, White House National Security Advisor Jake Sullivan said “several thousand Americans” remain in Kabul. On Monday afternoon the White House said roughly 37,000 people have been evacuated since August 14th.