BELOW SUPERNAV drop zone ⇩

With Afghanistan evacuation chaos, retired Lt. Gen. says Aug. 31 withdrawal date ‘unlikely’

MAIN AREA TOP drop zone ⇩

MAIN AREA TOP drop zone ⇩

ovp test

mLife Diagnostics LLC: Oral Fluid Drug Testing

Male shot by female at Shreveport apartment

Class to create biodiverse backyard

Rules for outbursts at Caddo School Board Meeting

AUTO TEST CUSTOM HTML 20241114185800

AUTO TEST CUSTOM HTML 20241115200405

AUTO TEST CUSTOM HTML 20241118165728

AUTO TEST CUSTOM HTML 20241118184948

WASHINGTON (NewsNation Now) — President Joe Biden’s withdrawal date for troops from Afghanistan is not realistic if he wants to get all American citizens and allies out of the country, according to one retired lieutenant general.

Biden faces growing criticism as videos depict pandemonium and occasional violence outside the airport and as vulnerable Afghans who fear the Taliban’s retaliation send desperate pleas not to be left behind.

“I believe that we’re going to go likely well beyond that date if we’re going to be able to get the last American out of Afghanistan, as well as the Afghan partners who’ve been with us for 20 years,”  retired Lt. Gen. Richard Newton said.

In a new security warning, the U.S. Embassy on Saturday told citizens not to travel to the Kabul airport without “individual instructions from a U.S. government representative,” citing potential security threats outside its gates.

The Biden administration has recruited border patrol agents to help organize the evacuation of Americans and allies in Kabul.

Newton, who visited troops in Afghanistan multiple times, completely supports that idea.

“I think, for the president and our national security team to, to bring in all elements of capability, I think we ought to be putting all resources on the problem, on the evacuation, on the safety and security of our American citizens,” Newton explained.

Tens of thousands of Afghan translators and others, and their close family members, seek evacuation after the Taliban’s shockingly swift takeover of Afghanistan in a little over a week’s time. 

So far, 13 countries have agreed to host at-risk Afghans at least temporarily, U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken said. Another 12 have agreed to serve as transit points for evacuees, including Americans and others. 

“I would tell the American citizens who are trapped outside of Karzai International Airport that they’re going to have to be able to sustain the next several days, if not couple weeks before they can get safely into inside the perimeter. And they’re going to have to hunker down,” Newton stated.

He told NewsNationNow.com the next step should be for the U.S. troops to establish perimeters or hubs outside the airport to help with the evacuation.

“The first priority of this President is to provide every available resource that we can muster in order to provide the safe security and eventual evacuation of our American citizens,” Newton added.

Taliban Takeover

Copyright 2024 Nexstar Media Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed

Site Settings Survey

 

MAIN AREA MIDDLE drop zone ⇩

Trending on NewsNation

AUTO TEST CUSTOM HTML 20241119133138

MAIN AREA BOTTOM drop zone ⇩

tt

KC Chiefs parade shooting: 1 dead, 21 shot including 9 kids | Morning in America

Witness of Chiefs parade shooting describes suspect | Banfield

Kansas City Chiefs parade shooting: Mom of 2 dead, over 20 shot | Banfield

WWE star Ashley Massaro 'threatened' by board to keep quiet about alleged rape: Friend | Banfield

Friend of WWE star: Ashley Massaro 'spent hours' sobbing after alleged rape | Banfield

Fog

la

55°F Fog Feels like 55°
Wind
2 mph WNW
Humidity
95%
Sunrise
Sunset

Tonight

Cloudy. Low 51F. Winds light and variable.
51°F Cloudy. Low 51F. Winds light and variable.
Wind
3 mph N
Precip
8%
Sunset
Moon Phase
Waning Crescent