Biden meets nat’l security team for “operational update” on Afghanistan – WH

WASHINGTON, US President Joe Biden met Sunday with his national security team for “an operational update on Afghanistan.” A White House official said Sunday that they discussed “the security situation in Afghanistan and counterterrorism operations.” “They welcomed the update that we have evacuated over 7,800 people from Afghanistan over the previous day, including American citizens and their families, SIV applicants and their families, and other vulnerable Afghans,” the official added.

The national security team discussed “the ongoing and intensive diplomatic and military efforts to facilitate transit at third-country transit hubs, affirming the importance of the contributions that more than two dozen partner nations are making to this global effort.” Meanwhile, National Security Adviser Jake Sullivan told NBC network earlier today “at the moment, we believe we have sufficient forces on the ground.” He added “but every single day, the president asks his military commanders, including those at the airport and those at the Pentagon, whether they need additional resources, additional troops. So far, the answer has been no.” For his part, Secretary of State Antony Blinken said in an interview on CBS network that the Taliban “are in control of Kabul. That is the reality. That’s the reality that we have to deal with.” “What I’m focused on, what we’re all focused on, is getting people out and making sure that we’re doing everything possible to do that. And in this case it is, I think, a requirement of the job to be in contact with the Taliban, which controls Kabul,” he added.

Source: Kuwait News Agency

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