White House News (白宮消息)

8/27/2021

Bumbing in Kabul | Aug. 27, 2021

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AUGUST 26, 2021
President Biden Remarks on Suicide Bombing in Kabul
President Biden delivered remarks from the White House on the terror attack at Hamid Karzai International Airport in Afghanistan. “A tough day,” began the president, as he spoke about the lives lost in the attack. To those who committed the attack, President Biden said, “we will not forgive. We will not forget. We will hunt you down and make you pay.” The president went on to commit to finishing the evacuation in Afghanistan and that he would authorize more forces to respond to the attack if the military requests it. He took questions from reporters after his prepared remarks.

Remarks by President Biden on the Terror Attack at Hamid Karzai International Airport

AUGUST 26, 2021•SPEECHES AND REMARKS
East Room

THE PRESIDENT: Been a tough day. This evening in Kabul, as you all know, terrorists attacked — that we’ve been talking about and worried about, that the intelligence community has assessed has [was] undertaken — an attack — by a group known as ISIS-K — took the lives of American service members standing guard at the airport, and wounded several others seriously. They also wounded a number of civilians, and civilians were killed as well.

I’ve been engaged all day and in constant contact with the military commanders here in Washington, the Pentagon, as well as in Afghanistan and Doha. And my commanders here in Washington and in the field have been on this with great detail, and you’ve had a chance to speak to some, so far.

The situation on the ground is still evolving, and I’m constantly being updated.

These American service members who gave their lives — it’s an overused word, but it’s totally appropriate — they were heroes. Heroes who have been engaged in a dangerous, selfless mission to save the lives of others.

They were part of an airlift, an evacuation effort unlike any seen in history, with more than 100,000 American citizens, American partners, Afghans who helped us, and others taken to safety in the last 11 days. Just in the last 12 hours or so, another 7,000 have gotten out.

They were part of the bravest, most capable, and the most selfless military on the face of the Earth. And they were part of, simply, what I call the “backbone of America.” They’re the spine of America, the best the country has to offer.

Jill and I — our hearts ache, like I’m sure all of you do as well, for all those Afghan families who have lost loved ones, including small children, or been wounded in this vicious attack. And we’re outraged as well as heartbroken... more

Tragic Deaths of U.S. Service Members in Afghanistan Won't Stop Evacuation Mission

A dozen American service members were killed, 15 more were injured and a number of Afghan civilians were also killed or injured during attacks this morning in Afghanistan.

AUG. 26, 2021 | BY C. TODD LOPEZ, DOD NEWS

The attacks involved an explosive set off by a suicide bomber near the Abbey Gate entrance to Hamid Karzai International Airport. Nearby, another suicide bomber set off an explosive at the Baron Hotel. Those attacks were followed by gunfire from ISIS gunmen.

Despite the tragic loss of life, the mission to evacuate American citizens and vulnerable Afghan civilians from Afghanistan will continue undeterred, Marine Corps Gen. Kenneth F. McKenzie Jr., commander of U.S. Central Command, said during a briefing today at the Pentagon.

"Let me be clear: while we're saddened by the loss of life, both U.S. and Afghan [citizens], we're continuing to execute the mission," the general said.

Right now, that mission is to evacuate from Afghanistan U.S. citizens, third-country nationals, special immigrant visa holders, U.S. embassy staff, and at-risk Afghans. Currently, there are now some 5,000 individuals awaiting evacuation from the country, McKenzie said... more

Pentagon Press Secretary John F. Kirby Holds a Press Briefing

AUG. 26, 2021

GEN. MCKENZIE: ...It's a hard day today. As you know, two suicide bombers, assessed to have been ISIS fighters, detonated in the vicinity of the Abbey Gate at Hamid Karzai International Airport and in the vicinity the Baron Hotel, which is immediately adjacent. The attack on the Abbey Gate was followed by a number of ISIS gunmen who opened fire on civilians and military forces. At this time, we know that 12 U.S. service members have been killed in the attack and 15 more service-members have been injured. A number of Afghan civilians were also killed and injured in the attack. We are treating some of them aboard HKIA. Many other Afghan civilians have been taken out to hospitals in town. We're still working to calculate the total losses, we just don't know it -- what that is right now.

Their loss lays heavily on us all, and I'll talk a little bit more about that as we go through my prepared remarks.

We continue to focus on the protection of our forces and the evacuees as the evacuation continues. Let me be clear, while we're saddened by the loss of life, both U.S. and Afghan, we'll continue to execute the mission. Our mission is to evacuate U.S. citizens, third country nationals, Special Immigrant Visa-holders, U.S. embassy staff, and Afghans at risk... more

Peanuts for this day.

8/21/2021

Afghanistan Evacuations | Aug. 21, 2021

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AUGUST 20, 2021
President Biden Remarks on Afghanistan Evacuations
President Biden gave remarks at the White House on military efforts to evacuate Americans and Afghans in Afghanistan after the Taliban seized control. After announcing that approximately 18,000 people have been evacuated from Afghanistan since July, including 13,000 people since evacuation operations began on August 14, the president said, “any American who wants to come home, we will get you home.” President Biden went on to say, “this evacuation mission is dangerous,” and that he cannot guarantee the outcome.

President Biden provides an update on the evacuation efforts in Afghanistan — 8/20/21
President Joe Biden delivers remarks on the evacuation of American citizens and their families, SIV applicants, and vulnerable Afghans as Taliban seized Kabul, Afghanistan. The U.S. has airlifted about 7,000 people out of Kabul by cargo aircraft in the past five days, the Pentagon said Thursday, as U.S. forces race to evacuate as many people as possible with less than two weeks before a self-imposed deadline to pull out of the country.

Remarks by President Biden on Evacuations in Afghanistan

AUGUST 20, 2021•SPEECHES AND REMARKS

East Room

THE PRESIDENT: Good afternoon. I’ve just met with the Vice President, Secretary Blinken, Secretary Austin, National Security Advisor Sullivan, and other members the national security leadership team in the Situation Room to discuss our ongoing efforts to evacuate American citizens, third-country civilians, Afghan allies, and vulnerable Afghans. And I want to provide the American people with a brief update and the — on the situation in Afghanistan.

Since I spoke to you on Monday, we’ve made significant progress. We have secured the airport, enabling flights to resume. Not just military flights, but civilian charters and other — from other countries and the NGOs taking out civilians and vulnerable Afghan — vulnerable Afghans.

And now we have almost 6,000 troops on the ground, including the 82nd Airborne providing runway security, the Army 10th Mountain Division standing guard around the airport, and the 24th Marine Expeditionary Unit assisting the civilian departure.

This is one of the largest, most difficult airlifts in history. And the only country in the world capable of projecting this much power on the far side of the world with this degree of precision is the United States of America.

We’ve already evacuated more than 18,000 people since July and approximately 13,000 since our military airlift began on August the 14th. Thousands more have been evacuated on private charter flights facilitated by the U.S. government.

These numbers include American citizens and permanent residents, as well as their families. It includes SIV applicants and their families — those Afghans who have worked alongside us, served alongside of us, gone into combat with us, and provided invaluable assistance to us, such as translators and interpreters.

The United States stands by its commitment that we’ve made to these people, and it includes other vulnerable Afghans, such as women leaders and journalists.

In fact, working in close coordination with the management of the New York Times, the Washington Post, and the Wall Street Journal, we have successfully evacuated all 204 of their employees in Afghanistan on U.S. military aircraft earlier this week.

We have established the flow of flights, and we’ve increased the number of people we are moving out of the country... more

After Pause in Flights Out of Kabul, Evacuations are Continuing, General Says

AUG. 20, 2021 | BY DAVID VERGUN, DOD NEWS

Pentagon officials provided a status update on the evacuation of Americans and eligible Afghans from Kabul.
John F. Kirby, Pentagon press secretary, and Army Maj. Gen. William "Hank" Taylor, Joint Staff deputy director for regional operations, held a press briefing this afternoon.

"Our throughput has increased and we continue to observe a steady progress in Kabul," Taylor said, referring to the flights out of the Hamid Karzai International Airport.

There was a pause of flights leaving Kabul earlier today, he said. The pause was because of a temporary resource and personnel capacity issue at one of our stopover locations.

Qatar is one of the primary stopover locations... more

Peanuts for this day.

8/20/2021

Afghanistan | Aug. 20, 2021

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More Than 2,000 Evacuated From Afghanistan in 24 Hours

Published on Aug. 19, 2021

...Taylor and Pentagon Press Secretary John F. Kirby held a briefing this morning shortly after an interview with President Joe Biden on the situation in Kabul was broadcast. In that interview, Biden vowed to get Americans, Afghans enrolled in the special immigrant visa program, third country allies and Afghans designated "special risk" out of the country. He left the door open to extending the mission past the August 31 deadline.

"If he believes that there's a need to alter the timeline … he would revisit that at the appropriate time," Kirby said... more

This AP pool photo shows U.S. State Department spokesperson Ned Price speaking during a media briefing at the State Department in Washington, Monday

Biden administration values alliances as 'profound source of strength': State Department

Date Published on Aug. 20, 2021

The Joe Biden administration prioritizes alliances with NATO, South Korea and others as a "profound source of strength" for the United States, State Department spokesperson Ned Price said Thursday.

The remarks came as Washington is trying to quell doubts about the US,' security commitments to its allies after the pullout of its troops from Afghanistan has led critics and even some allies, like Britain, to question the credibility of the US-led alliances.

"It is safe to say that this administration has prioritized our system of alliances and partnerships in profound ways, and we've done that because we recognize them as a profound source of strength," Price said in a press briefing on Thursday (US time).

Price reiterated that the troop withdrawal decision was made "in close coordination" with NATO allies... more

8/14/2021

Kabul | Aug. 14, 2021

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Taliban at Kabul's doorstep, US embassy asks staff to wipe sensitive documents

The Taliban have captured most of northern, western and southern Afghanistan in recent weeks, leaving the western-backed government in control of a smattering of provinces in the center and east, as well as the capital, Kabul.

Aug. 14 - ...The US embassy in the capital city is scrambling to destroy its classified documents and evacuate American citizens. In an internal memo, as reported by CNN, the embassy has asked its staff for the disposal of the American flag or items that could be used for propaganda.

The notice, which according to CNN, is titled "Emergency Destruction Services", describes the fire situation on the ground as more and more cities fall to Taliban. The notice further said that destruction support will be provided daily to ensure all the sensitive material is destroyed. It has called for using various methods, like burn bins, a disintegrator and an incinerator, according to CNN... more

There's no way you can tell the Afghan people the US is with them'

Aug 13 - State Department spokesman Ned Price was hounded by reporters on Thursday as he tried to explain the Biden administration's decision to evacuate much of its embassy personnel, at the same time touting 'diplomacy' advances with the Taliban.

'This is not abandonment. This is not an evacuation,' Price assured reporters numerous times throughout his briefing. 'What this is is a reduction in the size of our civilian footprint.'

'It appears to be a preparation for a full evacuation,' one reporter said. 'That's not true,' the spokesman responded.

'I respect you and we all know you have a job to do,' CBS reporter Christina Ruffini said to Price.

'But there is no way you can sit there and say that the people of Afghanistan watching the Taliban take over provinces, watching their country crumble are now going to watch American diplomats get on military planes and leave the country that that sends a signal that the U.S. is with them in the long haul diplomatically'... more

AUGUST 13, 2021
Defense Department Briefing
Pentagon Press Secretary John Kirby provided an update on the Defense Department’s role in the removal of U.S. civilians and Afghan refugees from the country.

Pentagon Press Secretary John F. Kirby Holds a Press Briefing

AUG. 13, 2021

Pentagon Press Secretary John F. Kirby

PRESS SECRETARY JOHN F. KIRBY: Good afternoon. A couple of things at the top here....
I can give you a -- a brief update of a few additional details since yesterday. Now, as I do this, I think you can understand that I'm not going to have every detail that you might want. There's operational security that's still going to be a concern, and we're going to -- we're going to observe that here, just like -- as we have throughout the entire drawdown process. But I can tell you a couple of things.

First, U.S. Forces Afghanistan Forward continue to provide security at the Kabul airport and at the embassy. These are the existing security elements that were already in Kabul. This comprised of attack and lift aviation assets, infantry, security personnel and some intelligence surveillance and reconnaissance assets that are already there at the airport. And they stay there, and they are still doing their jobs in terms of internal security there at Hamid Karzai International Airport.

The troop movements that we mentioned yesterday are happening as we speak. Three battalions are preparing to move from their current locations in the Central Command area of responsibility to Kabul, and they consist of a Marine battalion that was already pre-staged in the region and has lifts, sustainment and support capabilities. An infantry -- a -- a -- another Marine infantry battalion from a Marine expeditionary unit and a U.S. Army infantry battalion... more

US and British forces are being deployed to Afghanistan to help evacuate thousands of nationals, embassy staff and Afghans who worked for them as Taliban forces retake swathes of the country.
US troops start to arrive for Afghanistan evacuation as Taliban close in on Kabul

Thousands of western nationals and vulnerable Afghans to be airlifted out of Kabul as Taliban launch major assault on northern city of Mazar-i-Sharif

Aug 14 - US troops have begun arriving in Afghanistan to help evacuate thousands of people, including embassy staff, and Afghans and their families who worked for them as a sweeping Taliban offensive draws ever nearer to Kabul.

Diplomats and nationals from a host of western countries are scrambling to leave the capital, with insurgent fighters now camped just 50km (30 miles) away after a campaign that has seen provincial capitals swiftly fall.

On Saturday, the Taliban launched a multi-pronged assault on Mazar-i-Sharif, a major city in northern Afghanistan defended by powerful former warlords, according to Munir Ahmad Farhad, a spokesman for the provincial governor in Balkh province. There was no immediate word on casualties.

President Ashraf Ghani had flown to the city on Wednesday to rally its defences, meeting several militia commanders allied with the government.

In Kabul, US embassy staff have been ordered to begin shredding and burning sensitive material, as units from a planned re-deployment of 3,000 American troops started arriving to secure the airport and oversee the evacuations. Pentagon spokesman John Kirby said “elements” of a battalion were now in Kabul, the vanguard of three Marine and Army battalions that the US was sending to the city.

Kirby said that most of the troops would be in place by Sunday and “will be able to move thousands per day” out of Afghanistan. “Capacity is not going to be a problem,” he said.

The US is also moving an additional 4,500 to 5,000 troops to bases in the Gulf countries of Qatar and Kuwait, including 1,000 to Qatar to speed up visa processing for Afghan translators and others who fear retribution from the Taliban for their past work with Americans, and their family members.

Kirby said some of those troops would be a reserve force on standby “in case we need even more” than the 3,000 going to Kabul.

Helicopters have been flitting back and forth between Kabul’s airport and the sprawling US diplomatic compound in the heavily fortified Green Zone – 46 years after Americans were airlifted out of Saigon, signalling the end of the Vietnam war.

The UK said about 600 troops would be deployed on a short-term basis to support British nationals leaving. Earlier on Friday, many countries including Spain, Denmark, Norway and the Netherlands announced the withdrawal of staff from their respective embassies.

Canada said the first plane-loads of asylum seekers have already landed in Toronto on Friday, as part of its promise to take in up to 20,000 Afghan refugees, including women leaders and government workers.

On Friday, insurgents took control of four more provincial capitals, having on Thursday seized Kandahar and Herat, the second and third-largest cities. Afghan government forces are in disarray, and there are reports the vice-president, Amrullah Saleh, has fled.

US military intelligence suggests Kabul could come under pressure within 30 days. If trends continue, the Taliban are likely to gain full control of the country in months... more

North Africa Fires Spread to Libya and Tunisia

Aug. 14 - As unusually hot weather persists over parts of Northern Africa, new forest fires reportedly have broken out in Tunisia and Libya during the past 24 hours, in addition to many that are still burning in Algeria.

The presidents of Algeria and Tunisia are accusing arsonists of setting many of the fires, while Algerian media said 22 alleged arsonists have been caught.

Amateur video showed a forest fire raging out of control near the Libyan city of Bayada in the Jebel Akhdar region, east of the country, overnight. Libya's 218 TV network reported that fire crews in the region were trying to put out the blaze.

A number of fires also broke out in Tunisia Thursday near the border with Algeria... more

Statement by Press Secretary Jen Psaki on Eviction Moratorium

AUGUST 13, 2021•STATEMENTS AND RELEASES

Throughout the pandemic, preventing evictions and keeping people in their homes has been a proven way of slowing the spread of COVID-19.

The Administration believes that CDC’s new moratorium is a proper use of its lawful authority to protect the public health. We are pleased that the district court left the moratorium in place, though we are aware that further proceedings in this case are likely.

The President continues to call on State and local elected officials and judges to issue local eviction moratoriums and move aggressively to distribute the $46.5 billion in emergency rental assistance funds that are available through the bipartisan COVID relief act that Congress passed in December 2020, and through the President’s American Rescue Plan that was enacted in March 2021. And, the President calls on landlords to seek out rental assistance and not evict tenants from their homes, and echoes Attorney General Garland’s calls for state and local courts to implement policies to discourage eviction filings until landlords and tenants have sought emergency rental assistance funds. source

NBC Nightly News Broadcast (Full) - August 13th, 2021
Aug 14, 2021
The Taliban takes control of two major cities ahead of U.S. embassy evacuations, a CDC panel recommends third vaccine dose for immunocompromised people, and the growing battle over mask mandates as schools reopen.
00:00 Intro
01:24 Taliban takes control of two major cities
04:43 Biden under pressure
06:09 Human rights lawyer on future of Afghans
08:38 Taliban takeover endangers Afghan women and children
09:23 CDC panel recommends third vaccine dose
11:41 Growing battle over mask mandates as schools reopen
14:06 Philadelphia DA charges 3 former detectives
17:35 Travel insurance purchases increase as Covid cases rise