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The State Department cannot guarantee the safety of the thousands of Americans in Afghanistan as they make their way to Kabul’s Hamid Karzai International Airport to be evacuated.
Part of the message the institution sent to Americans confirming the request to leave the city after the Taliban took over much of Afghanistan and seized control of Kabul on Sunday went viral on Twitter.
“Thank you for registering your request to be evacuated from Afghanistan. The U.S. Embassy has confirmed that an indefinite number of U.S. government-provided flights will begin soon. Please make your way to Hamid Karzai International Airport in Kabul at this time,” the message details.
However, the statement from the State Department also details that “Please be advised that the U.S. Government cannot guarantee your safety while on this trip”.
It is currently estimated that there are still between 5,000 and 10,000 Americans in Afghanistan near Kabul, despite efforts to evacuate them.
“We believe there are certainly thousands of Americans, we don’t have an exact count. I would say the best estimate is between 5,000 and 10,000 near Kabul,” Defense Department spokesman John Kirby said in an interview with CNN.
Kirby assured that it is no longer necessary for Americans in the capital to take shelter, after the State Department issued the notice advising them to get to the airport to leave Kabul.
“They can start moving to the airport to board flights,” the spokesman said, even though the State Department notified the Americans that it cannot guarantee their safety on their way to Hamid Karzai Airport.
Kirby reiterated the Pentagon’s commitment to complete the withdrawal in a “safe and orderly manner” and said U.S. troops have the capacity to move between 5,000 and 9,000 people a day from Afghanistan.
