8/27
WASHINGTON—President Biden’s national security advisers told him on Friday that another terrorist attack is likely as the U.S. wraps up its withdrawal from Afghanistan, according to the White House.
During a meeting in the White House Situation Room, the president’s advisers said they are taking steps to protect U.S. troops on the ground at Kabul’s international airport, adding that the next few days will likely be the most dangerous yet, White House press secretary Jen Psaki said.
The Friday morning briefing came one day after an attack outside the airport, which the Pentagon blamed on an Islamic State affiliate known as ISIS-K, killed 13 members of the U.S. armed services and dozens of Afghans.
In response to the attack, Mr. Biden asked his military commanders to draw up plans to retaliate against ISIS-K. Military commanders told Mr. Biden on Friday that they had the necessary resources to conduct operations targeting the group, Ms. Psaki said.
Mr. Biden’s withdrawal plan continued to draw political backlash, with Republicans ratcheting up criticism following Thursday’s bloodshed. House Minority Leader Kevin McCarthy (R., Calif.) said Friday that Mr. Biden had lost the faith of the American people. “There will be a day of reckoning,” he said.
The U.S. pressed on with its evacuation efforts in the aftermath of the Thursday attack. More than 12,000 people were evacuated from Kabul in the 24-hour period ending early Friday morning, according to the White House. Since the airlift operation began on Aug. 14, more than 100,000 people have been evacuated. The U.S. is prioritizing getting remaining Americans in Afghanistan out of the country, officials said.
The Pentagon said on Friday morning there were about 5,400 people at the airport in Kabul awaiting flights out of the country, adding that the U.S. military would continue evacuation flights until Aug. 31. After that date, the U.S. will attempt to continue extracting any remaining Americans and vulnerable Afghans, officials have said, though they have not detailed how they will conduct those operations.
Mr. Biden addressed the situation in Afghanistan briefly during a meeting Friday with Israeli Prime Minister Naftali Bennett. He again expressed sorrow over the loss of lives but stood by the operation.
“The mission there being performed is dangerous and now has come with significant loss of American personnel. But it’s a worthy mission because they continue to evacuate folks out of that region, out of the airport,” Mr. Biden said.
He added, “We will complete the mission.”
Corrections & Amplifications The Pentagon said on Friday that 5,400 people were at the airport in Kabul awaiting flights out of the country. An earlier version of this article incorrectly said 4,500 people were at the airport. (Corrected on Aug. 27)