Department of State Daily Press Briefing – August 23, 2021

Transcript

Good afternoon. So let me offer a few updates on the top about Afghanistan and then happy to take your questions as you heard this morning. From three a.m. On august 22nd 23 A. M. On august 23rd 28. U. S. military flights evacuated approximately 10,400 people from Kabul. In addition 61 coalition aircraft evacuated approximately 5900 people from Kabul Since August 14. The US has evacuated and facilitated the evacuation of approximately 37,000 people since the end of last month. The end of July we have relocated approximately 42,000 people here at the department. Our employees are working around the clock to help evacuate American citizens, hundreds of consular officers and locally employed staff members both here in D. C. And at our embassies around the world are placing personalized phone calls to us citizens who may be in Afghanistan to determine their whereabouts, collect information that will guide their next steps and offer them that tailored advice. Our team made several 1000 calls over the weekend and those efforts continue. We’re extremely proud of the volunteerism we’re seeing across the State Department right now with hundreds of employees answering the call to serve to help their fellow Americans and our afghan allies. The tele work tools that we have all mastered in the face of a global pandemic means that we can mobilize our human resources located around the world and that is just what we’ve done so far. Officers from the U. S. Missions in Mexico Canada brazil and India are assisting as well as many consular staff from this building and from throughout the Washington DC region. I want to take a moment and give special thanks to the locally employed staff members who have stepped forward to help with this effort. Many locally employed staff from around the world have volunteered to serve at our embassy in Afghanistan over the years now. Some are serving in our mission in Afghanistan again but thousands of miles away in their home countries as always, US citizens should check the embassy website for the latest updates. We continue to urge Americans and their immediate family members in Afghanistan to utilize what we call the repatriation assistance form on our website to register their interest in departing if they haven’t already done so. I also want to provide an update on our global network of transit hubs. The United States wants to sincerely think the governments of Qatar Kuwait Bahrain the United Arab Emirates Germany Italy and Spain for their help in our efforts to safely transit U. S. Citizens at risk afghans and other evacuees from Afghanistan Germany Italy and Spain’s our armed forces bravely served alongside U. S. Troops and other NATO allies in Afghanistan and they are now continuing to support the Afghan people by collaborating with our ongoing efforts to evacuate Afghans at risk. President Biden and secretary Blinken have personally expressed our gratitude for their continuous support as friends and allies and for assisting in the temporary transit of Afghans to safety. The temporary transit locations. We have established that us or joint bases in Germany? Italy and Spain have capacity to process at least 15,000 people on a rolling basis, significantly expanded our ability to facilitate the relocation of US citizens and at-risk Afghans from Afghanistan. The first flights from these European transit sites departed from Ramstein air base in Germany. Today we are grateful to host governments for agreeing to allow the United States to host at risk afghans. While we make arrangements to relocate them to United States or to a third country, our embassies have been working with the U. S. Military and our partners in these countries to receive flights and ensure safe transit of passengers to onward destinations With that and with that background, be happy to take your questions. Can I just ask you thanks on the 15,000 on a rolling basis. What is the 24/24 hours? It’s 15,000 at any one time. Uh so as at-risk Afghans others transit from those countries. Uh The others will backfill and be able to take their place. So at any one time uh This system of third country transit sites can accommodate 15,000 people. Okay that’s Italy Germany Spain and food And that’s what the 15 applies to know. That’s correct. Nothing else. Okay secondly also really briefly are you guys still sending councilor and other people to Kabul to work at the airport or has that now? Have you not reached what you need? Well, so we are always evaluating the situation on the ground to determine that we have the right staffing posture to accommodate the task that we need to take on. We talked about this last week but as of late last week we had doubled the number of consular officers on the ground in Kabul. We had sent additional consular officers to some of those initial transit sites in the gulf including two cutter to Kuwait in the U. A. E. But the broader point I would make is that we have been able to take advantage of consular officers throughout this building and around the world. I’m not interested the broader point, I’m just interested in answer to the question are you still sending people there and if you’re not which is fine if you are and I just want to know if they’re still ramping up And then on the opposite end of that is that we are approaching the 31st and if there is no extension in this, you guys are gonna have to start thinking and I want to know, have you already started thinking about drawing them back down again if in fact they are going to leave or if you guys think that maybe you can go back to the embassy. Well uh we are always evaluating what we have on the ground compared with our needs. If we need more people on the ground. we won’t hesitate to do it. We came to that conclusion last week, that’s why we doubled the presence of consular officers on the ground. But but you’re right, this is a mission um uh with a uh is a finite mission with a end date, whatever that specific date is attached to it. So of course we are working very closely with the U. S. Military uh to ensure that we are working in lockstep with them on their retrograde plants so that in addition to what the U. S. Military needs to bring back their people, obviously we will be working with them too, ensure we have a timeline and to ensure that we bring back our people at the right time. Okay, Last one yesterday and I didn’t see this interview, I saw the first one, I didn’t see the second one in the in the CBS interview. The Secretary uh according to the transcript that you guys put out misspoken so that he had spoken to President Karzai, I’m less interested in his misspeaking and more interested in knowing whether or not there has been any discussion between the secretary or anyone else like Zal or or anyone between the US and former President Karzai or Abdullah Abdullah or or the others who are now in discussions with the Taliban luge. Absolutely. So as you know, matt, there continues to be a dialogue between the Afghans that is to say representatives of the Islamic Republic. Uh and the Taliban for our part. We have been in touch with relevant and key stakeholders uh individuals who are taking part in inter afghan discussions with the Taliban. We’re not in a position to read those calls out. Um this has been primarily on the part of our team in Doha. Our team on the ground in Afghanistan to make sure that we have a regular line into those afghan has not been in touch with. Thanks. So, those talks, So, throughout this process, even when it was taking place in Doha, this was a process that the United States together with our international partners that we were supported. We were never part of the intra afghan dialogue, never part of the intra afghan negotiations. We were facilitating them, we were supporting them. We were providing what the afghan uh what the afghans may have needed to um potentially make progress, but we were not formerly part of those of that dialogue and those negotiations for a simple reason, because both the United States and our international partners concluded that any political outcome needed to be afghan owned and afghan, let that remains the case today. So yes, we are absolutely in contact with the Taliban through political channels, through diplomatic channels military channels as well. We are absolutely in continued contact with representatives of the Islamic Republic on stakeholders who are part of this ongoing dialogue and what we’re doing now is doing all we can to encourage a peaceful and orderly transition to an inclusive government with broad support. This is what we have been focused on in terms of how we are working with the parties, what we are communicating with the parties, what we’re conveying to them. But just as importantly, this has been the message that representatives of the Islamic republic, that Taliban officials have heard from the international community, whether it’s from NATO, whether it was from the G seven, whether it was from the 100 13 countries, uh that came together at our organization about a week ago today to press for this very outcome. So I’m going to leave it to them to speak to how that dialogue is going. But I can tell you for our part, we continue to be in close contact to urge an outcome that entails a peaceful and orderly transition uh to an inclusive government with broad support Andrea that my colleague reported that on Saturday a cable came here a memo was sent to afghan staff at the embassy embassy on Wednesday, inviting them to head to the airport and that it was so that it was so difficult for them to the physical situation was simply impossible. And that some staff reported being separated from Children. They said, quote, it would be better to die under the Taliban’s bullet than face the crowds. Again, one staff member said they felt betrayed, that it was uh it undermines their sense of dignity, their loyalty, This is embassy staff who should have been presumably prioritized that they were left behind when the evacuation took place basically. Andrew what I can tell you for sure. I will tell you that. I just came from a meeting with the secretary about an hour and a half ago. Uh and this was something that he proactively raised in that setting. Uh and he also conveys conveyed, it was something that he has discussed with the president and and offered that he and the president are completely on the same page. We have an obligation to these individuals as sacrosanct obligation. They have served the United States. They have not only work for us, they have worked with us, our embassies around the world could not function without locally engaged death. That is as true in Paris or London uh as it is in a place like Kabul. Uh so we absolutely have a responsibility to these individuals who have worked with our colleagues on the ground in Kabul and in some cases over years or even longer, they are absolutely uh priority in terms of our evacuation and relocation planning. Uh as you know, Andrea we are now in a position to offer tailored personalized advice to those. We are relocating from Afghanistan to those. We are evacuating from Afghanistan. We’ve been doing that of course, two American citizens. We’ve been doing that. Two special immigrant visa applicants. We’ve been doing that to other afghans at risk but are locally engaged staff. They are absolutely priority. They are absolutely part of our plans uh And that commitment to them to their safety uh insecurity is uh something that uh is in no way diminished. Why weren’t they on the original evacuation from the embassy? So uh when the embassy was evacuated uh and and our personnel started to make the way from uh the embassy in Kabul to the secure facility on the airport compound. Uh Many of not all of our locally engaged staff were not present on the embassy compound at that time. They were working remotely given the volatile security situation. Many of them were at home. We’re not at work. I can tell you that we have been able to relocate members of our locally engaged staff but they were not brought to the airport compound with the American direct hires at that time. Just because they weren’t at the embassy compound by and large that day. If you will. I’ve been told that at the airport a military the pentagon has been complaining about bureaucracy frankly from Dhs particularly customs and border patrol and state to do the full interagency vet presumably on S. I. V. S. Rather than doing a preliminary vet and letting them board and do that in Doha Ramstein or wherever. And that this is being is really frustrating the military and becoming a roadblock that it’s not just state that it is primarily DHS but with states. Yeah understanding. So this is the, I see the whole inter agency length Yvette before letting people move on. Can you look into that? I am happy to look into that. But I’m also happy to offer some context right now. You look at where we are uh In terms of uh really the metric that matters. The number of people we have been able to bring to safety over the past 24 hours from three a.m. To three a.m. Yesterday to today. And you see a story of remarkable progress. 10,400 individuals in that 24-hour period alone, If you include uh coalition aircraft, that’s an additional nearly 6000 people, 5900 people in addition to that. Uh If you look at the sum total since august 14th, again, it’s 37,000 people are the specific question as to whether more could be moved more quickly. Well, capacity is now is now exceeding the numbers that are being loaded. We understand and let me get to that those numbers I should add also are in the context of an operation that is just over a week old, it was a week ago that the airport compound was secured and that uh this operation was able to begin in many ways in earnest. Now when it comes to S. I. V. Applicants, the S. I. V. Applicants uh that we have prioritized at this stage are those applicants who have uh received uh initial vetting? Uh So the vetting has taken place in recent days, weeks, months in some cases. So this is this is not happening at the airport compound. No no I’m talking about this larger population who have somehow gotten into the airport and can’t be boarded because of interagency bureaucracy that involves the State Department. And I’m asking a policy question beyond the are they armed? And do we know who they are or can they prove who they are? Why do we have to do this entire, and I presume it several day vet. If it is all these agencies, including the we’ll make a couple points. It is true that before anyone has brought to the United States, that person undergoes country, I’m not talking about to the United States. I understand, I understand. But before anyone is brought to the United States that person would undergo a rigorous vet. That includes intelligence. It includes law enforcement counterterrorism professionals uh to ensure that we are being faithful to the high and rigorous uh security standards. When it comes to individuals who may be on the airport compound. It’s difficult for me to speak to any specific cases. But broadly speaking, uh the inter-agency that is to say every department and agency that has a role in this vetting process and of course that includes the State Department and includes the intelligence community, includes the law enforcement community, includes dhs uh and D. O. D. We are making every effort to complete these steps as quickly as we can because when it comes to the vetting that is taking place at those transit points. That vetting will then allow us to bring individuals to the United States once it’s completed and bring additional people out of Afghanistan. But for people who are on the airport compound in Kabul, I understand your question and what I can tell you is that we are surging resources. We have surged resources here at the department. We have surged resources throughout the administration to see to it that we can speed and accelerate these processes as much as we can consistent with the high standards. Surging resources. Doesn’t answer the question as to why not do this at the third country. Serge them there and get them out of Kabul where they can have better facilities, sanitation, food, et cetera. Well that vetting by and large is taking place at these third countries. When it comes to S. I. V. S. Again, all of those who have received instructions to come to the airport have already completed certain stages of the security vetting process. So that initial vet on these individuals has been completed. Uh In many cases they’re then taken to a third country where they will undergo more rigorous vetting if it hasn’t yet been completed. But that is very much the point of the network of transit countries uh and partner countries throughout the Middle East, throughout Europe, the rest of the world, more than 26 countries across four continents. Uh It is in part a system that will allow us to provide safe haven to these individuals who in some cases, well in all cases before they come to United States, but in some cases still need to complete part of that rigorous vetting process. Laura one three house earlier today was asked for the number of American citizens who have been evacuated. He indicated he would give that number out. He just didn’t have it at hand. Do you have that number? I don’t have a precise figure to give you in part because that number changes all the time. Just within the past 24 hours. Again, more than 10,400 people. We are evacuating thousands upon thousands of people per day. So I just don’t have that figure to provide right now. But what I can tell you is that we are, as you heard, Secretary Blinken say yesterday um we believe there are several 1000 Americans in Afghanistan who would like to leave what we are focused on right now. Among the many other tasks we are prioritizing is being in direct and personal contact with them. This is not about sending a blast via a warden message or posting something on the website. This is about placing in many cases phone calls to American citizens, we have reason to believe are in Afghanistan and want to leave over the weekend. As I said, we have placed several 1000 phone calls not only to determine if we have in fact reached an American citizen who wants to leave, but to learn more about where that person is. If that person would be traveling with any family members, how we might be able to assist that American citizen who seeks to leave. Another question. You were talking a few minutes ago about some of the ongoing negotiations or discussions with the Taliban. Is that still taking place in Doha with Ambassador Khalilzad or has that moved on? Are there other peoples in this administration who are now talking to the Taliban? Yes. So we have multiple channels with the Taliban. It is true that Ambassador Khalilzad remains in Doha as does some as do some members of his team. Most of the political council has moved from Doha to Afghanistan, but there still are representatives of the Taliban in Doha. So that is a channel that is ongoing. We also have several State Department officials on the ground in Afghanistan who also are in touch with Taliban representatives on the diplomatic and political front. In addition to all of that, of course, the military has its own channel to discuss tax school and decompression issues. One last question, it’s been said that the United States will help Afghans who want to leave even after the U. S. Military mission ends whenever that set date is going to be. But you know to speaking to Andrew’s question, I’m just wondering how the United States is going to assure that to afghans who are vulnerable, given that the Talibs are already, you know going across door to door threatening people, brutalizing people. You know I appreciate that these are kind of delicate negotiations and you don’t want to speak to the specifics of. I’m just wondering how you or the United States government can give any kind of confidence to afghan people that they will not be left behind. Well uh in the first instance, what we are doing now is mounting uh in ambition, ambitious and in many ways historically unprecedented airlift operation to bring as many individuals from Afghanistan to the United States or to third countries as a temporary waypoint. Again, the progress we’ve made in terms of how many individuals we are now able to bring to safety every day I think tells the story of uh this Department of the Department of Defense of our Interagency partners throwing everything we have. It’s going to end when the military mission ends well. But but what what does not end when the military mission ends? Is our commitment to at risk. After exactly how do you? Well, let me make sure let me make, let me make a couple points. Uh and again I don’t want to delve into hypotheticals as to what that in date might be or what the details of it might resemble. But let me make a couple points one, the Taliban has agreed and committed to provide and to permit safe passage, safe passage for if you listen to their statements at least to Americans to third country nationals into afghans. This is the message that they have said publicly, this is the message that the United States ian’s are closest allies and partners. In fact, more than half of the world’s countries have signed onto in terms of making clear to the Taliban that they have a responsibility to provide the safe passage and that together we will hold them accountable. Uh if they do not, as with all Taliban commitments, we are focused on deeds, not words. What matters to us is the follow through. What matters to us is the follow through both. Now, before August 31, in the follow through after August 31, let me make another point. The Taliban has also said publicly that they want in Afghanistan, that has a relationship with the rest of the world. They want uh to ensure that that Afghanistan under a future afghan government is not the pariah, that it would become in certain circumstances. Um the fact is that this cannot happen without a functioning airport, a functioning state, a functioning economy, a government that has some semblance of a relationship with the rest of the world needs a functioning commercial airport. We are in discussions with the Taliban on this very front, They have indicated to us in no uncertain terms that they seek to have a functioning commercial airport. So that is our hope and expectation that there is a functioning commercial airport. What we know coupled with that is that these guarantees of safe passage, these commitments to safe passage don’t have an expiration date. So it certainly stands to reason. And we will hold the Taliban um to this the rest of the world will as well that individuals who seek to leave after the U. S. Military has gone will have an opportunity to do so. Our commitment to the afghan people doesn’t end in that sense. Our commitment to the afghan people won’t end uh in the sense that our humanitarian commitment will remain as well. Yes, sure understand. You know what commercial airlines would go into an airport that’s run by a terrorist organization as the US considers it and the U. N. Um So what can you tell us about your talks with the Taliban or with NATO with Turkey with anyone else about taking over the airport? Um And the U. N. Is also called for an air bridge for humanitarian aid. What can you tell us about that? Well, I can’t go into private discussions but what I what I can say, I can acknowledge that this has been a topic of discussion with the Taliban. It has been a topic of discussion with our allies. It has been a topic of discussion with many of our partners. There is actually agreement between and among all these actors, of course between the United States and our partners and allies, but also with the Taliban, that all of our interest would be served with a functioning airport now. Um commercial flights are one thing, charter flights are another. Uh there are uh as you’ve seen when it when it comes to charter flights now, um uh they have been able to remove uh and bring to safety, thousands upon thousands of individuals. Look, we don’t want to get ahead of things right now. We are focused on the evacuation operation that the United States Government is running uh that the United States Government will be running for as long as we’re in a position to do. So. Our point, however, is that the Taliban have made certain commitments, They have made statements the rest of the world has um made, sent those very same clear messages to the Taliban. So there would seem to be some confluence of interests here. Uh and it is certainly something that would be in our interest. It would be in many ways in the interest of the Taliban, which have indicated that as well, And it would certainly be in the interests of the afghan people to see that outcome fulfilled. Yes, Roslyn, with all due respect, how can this government trust what the Taliban says. It would appear that the Taliban is simply the latest in a long line of actors and other countries that will say what sounds appealing to us here in the west. And then once the West pulls out by notably its military, these forces then go on and do what they feel like doing and the people are left wanting in the best of circumstances. What is the U. S. Actually prepared to do at this moment to make certain that the Taliban isn’t following up on marking homes for Afghans who worked with the U. S. Government had been living and that they don’t go back and actually kill their people. It seems as if the leaders are willing to say one thing and they’ve given a message to their foot soldiers to do what they really intend to be doing, which is running the country in their vision, not in one that is going to be in good standing with the international community. Well, I want to be very clear about one thing. We are not in any way trusting the Taliban, this is not about trust, this is about um what’s in our interests and also what’s in the interests of the people of Afghanistan and those two things are aligned right now. It is a fact that we are dealing with the Taliban on these issues in part to make very clear where it is that the United States stands where it is that the rest of the world stands. Uh this is not about um asking permission, this is not about establishing any sort of formal relations, this is about doing all we can to facilitate safe passage to ensure that the Taliban know that any effort to impede the evacuation of American citizens to impede our operations while this is up and running would be met with a very swift and severe response. So that has been our message. That has been the message of the rest of the world. I can tell you that and it’s not only the Taliban, it is in the interests of every ruling entity the world over to have a functioning economy to be able to provide for their people to have a relationship to whatever degree that entails with the rest of the world. And we have been very clear and by we I mean the royal we hear uh the United States with our allies and partners around the world more than half of the world’s countries. And at least one case, we have been very clear that those things would be quite difficult, if not impossible if the Taliban do not live up to their basic commitments. If they deny the rights of their citizens, if they deprive more than half of their population of their basic rights, if they commit the sort of atrocities that we’ve all seen take place over in Afghanistan over the years, none of that would be foreseeable. Um if the Taliban were to choose that path. So together with the international community, we have significant sources of leverage. But the Taliban also have an interest as well. If they want any semblance of um, durability, if they want the tools, they need to be able to administer a country as large a country as expansive as Afghanistan, what the United States and what together we say with our international allies and partners that will matter to them in very profound ways. It’s interesting that you just said that we’re not here negotiating with the Taliban. Is that a justification for why we have not seen anyone? Certainly at the Secretary’s level engaging with mullah Baradar or whoever would be their foreign minister. That you have people who are lower on the food chain as it were engaging, talking, cajoling, arguing whatever verb you want to use with the Taliban in order to not give them this sense that somehow they are more important than they might think that they are. It’s not about seeking to prevent self-aggrandizement or anything like that. It is a but certainly you can use it to fuel however you want to run your country. It is a, it is largely a function of the fact that our discussions with the Taliban have been operational. They have been tactical uh they have been focused on, focused largely on our near-term operations in our near-term goals uh, in those near-term operations and those near-term goals uh, in the first instance are focused on what is going on at the airport compound at hk. Uh That is what we are focused on at the moment. Now it is true that we have begun with our allies and partners in various fora NATO G seven through bilateral dialogue and multilateral diplomacy as well at various levels. To begin to have conversations about what the international community um would want to see of any future government in Afghanistan uh and mm to be very clear about what would be unacceptable to us. Uh We have done that publicly. Uh It is it is true that over the course of many months the Taliban certainly have a good sense of that from private discussions that have taken place in in Doha. None of this will come as a surprise to them. But when it comes to the political outcome, that is something that in the first instance we are establishing common expectations, establishing shared concerns, shared goals and shared outcomes not with the Taliban but with international allies and partners. Knowing that when we approached the Taliban together as a bloc as a block of many of the world’s most powerful and influential countries that what we say we’ll have outsized influence, It’s always important with the United States says it is going to be even more uh influential when we speak with one voice with our closest friends and allies. When you say the Taliban has made commitments. Does the Taliban understand that given the U. S. Commitment to its citizens to S. I. V. Applicants and two others in that pool That if this operation needs to go beyond August 31, the Taliban must allow that operation to continue. Look this is a decision that only one person will be able to make. That person is not in Afghanistan, that person is not in this building, That person sits in an office without corners in the White House. President Biden will ultimately have to decide um when this operation will come to a close. I can tell you that it is our goal to Move as quickly as we can and as efficiently as we can to bring to safety as many people as we can. And I think you’re seeing in the metrics in recent days and certainly over the past 24 hours that we are making good progress on that. It is not our goal to be there one day, one hour, one minute longer than is absolutely necessary but not going to get ahead of that assignment. Okay communicated to the U. S. Government outside of the interview they did with Sky. That they will not be permitted that we will not be permitted to go beyond The 31st. What I will say Andrea is that we have multiple channels with the Taliban diplomatic channels. Political channels military channels we have discussed a whole host of operational issues issues in the first instance. Pretty squarely focused on our operations at the basic idea to remove our people, our partners and third country nationals from Afghanistan? Uh there have been um pretty involved discussions on that, but I’m not going to get into the details of it about in response to the question about the treatment of civilians. You’re using the kind of phrasing, you know, if the Taliban does this acts in a certain way, it’s sort of conditional on their on their behavior going forward, but does not give an impression that you’re um you know, there are already reports, for example, from before they even took Kabul, that massacres of Hazara men uh amnesty recorded last week. You know, there are a lot of those reports already out there. So you’re sort of offering them a clean slate in a way by saying, you know, if they behave in such a way going forward. These are the potential carrots and sticks that we have. And, you know, in addition to that, we’re hearing everything we’re hearing at the moment, or a lot of it is coming out of Kabul, Given that your, you know, your diplomatic presence there is basically focused on this evacuation. Are you concerned that there could be ongoing rights abuses happening outside of the capital that you’re not seeing and, you know, not raising concerns about because you’re involved in these strategical negotiations or talks with the Taliban in order to complete this? Are you missing other things that are happening and therefore letting them potentially get away with things that you’re also saying are, you know, conditional for how you’re going to treat this government come up, I’ll make a couple points. The expectations that the United States and the rest of the world have for the Taliban. In terms of how any future government of Afghanistan would govern, would treat its people would uphold or not, the rights of its citizens would protect the gains made by Afghanistan’s women, girls, minorities over the years. That is something that is just important to us uh in Kabul at this very instance, as it is to what takes place much farther, a field in places where the United States is not. So this is not confined to what is happening right now. It is also not confined to what happens going forward. We have been talking about the expectations on the part of the United States and the rest of the world. We’ve been talking about the commitments that at least the Taliban have purported to make. Uh and again, we will judge them by one criterion and one criterion only, and that’s that’s their action. Uh but just because we are talking about responsibility and accountability going forward does not mean that we are turning a blind eye to accountability for past actions. We have a number of our tools at our disposal. The United States does when we are working in tandem with the rest of the world with the U. N. We have a number even greater number of tools. Some of these tools are broad. Some of these tools are narrow and fairly tailored. We will be prepared to apply whatever tool is necessary given what unfolds and given our assessments going forward of what has unfolded. So what mechanism is there for detecting the potential atrocities that have been happening are happening now? Well, um look, we have a full suite of uh sources of information. Uh some of them we can uh all see what is taking place on social media um what is captured by um reporters on the ground. It is true that there are Ngos that remain active and operational in Afghanistan. They send back reports, they make those reports public. In fact, we’ve discussed one of those NGO reports even here in in recent days. Um We have other assets at our disposal to that will give us and our allies broad insight into what is happening. So uh there will not be any impunity. Uh there will not be um any effort, any willingness on the part of the United States to turn a blind eye. What we will be willing to do is to act appropriately using the tools that are at our disposal to respond, both going forward and if appropriate to hold individuals accountable for past atrocities. Yes, love it. Religious minorities in Afghanistan are seeking to flee the country, given their past experience with the Taliban rule. Some of them have been taken by India the six and the Hindus. But in the US trying to accept some of those religious minorities from Afghanistan. So long we are prioritizing for safe relocation. A number of individuals. We of course talked about American citizens are locally engaged staff who worked with us at the embassy. S ivy applicants. But then there are there’s a much broader category of at-risk afghans. And the fact is that there may well be many afghans who because of their past actions, because of their appearance, because of their beliefs, because of their gender may be at risk to Taliban reprisals we have at our disposal. A number of avenues to help those individuals. Uh First is um refugee status and there are a couple different refugee status is that are applicable here. Uh They’re tiered by priorities. Um priority one referral status uh would be appropriate in some instances for the kinds of people you described priority to refugee status. This is a status that you heard the secretary announced in the afghan context from this podium a few weeks ago. May also in some cases be appropriate for individuals who fall into the categories you describe. So we are committed to helping as many afghans at risk as we possibly can, but I also don’t want to leave you or anyone with the impression that the only way to help is to put someone on a plane Again, our commitment to the people of Afghanistan will endure long beyond August 31, we will Be in a position to continue our humanitarian support to the Afghan people, which over the course of years has been in the billions of dollars, $3.9 billion. Since 2002, we announced more more than a quarter million dollars in June alone. The president last week authorized $500 million. 500 million additional dollars to help uh internally displaced persons in Afghanistan refugees and other who others who may be at risk are humanitarian benefits will certainly continue to flow to the people of Afghanistan. But again, we will also use every diplomatic, every economic, every tool that we and our partners have to send a very clear signal and to hold accountable anyone, any force, any regime that would seek to deny the basic rights of their citizens. We’ve been very clear about that. Can you give us a sense that the role Ambassador General Michael Jordan is playing right now? What is doing in Qatar? So Ambassador Khalilzad has been in Qatar for uh in Doha since earlier this month. As you know, he has uh gone to and from Doha over the course of uh several months now uh and in fact actually predating this administration. Uh he’s carried out diplomacy both there and in other places as well um with the extended troika and other groupings that are relevant to this um in recent days, as I mentioned before. Of course, members of the political council have many of them have relocated from Doha to Afghanistan. But there are representatives of the Taliban still present in Doha. Uh Ambassador Khalilzad and this team also have been in touch electronically over the phone with representatives of the Taliban to convey the same message is that the Taliban is hearing from State Department diplomats on the ground in Afghanistan uh and to reinforce the messages as well that the Taliban is hearing from the U. S. Military Taliban. Also, if you consider Taliban, the de facto ruler of Afghanistan right now look, um we are, it’s been a fluid situation. There has not been any sort of formal transfer of power. What we’re focused on right now is the mission at hand and that is to bring as many people uh to safety as we possibly can. Kylie, thank you. Right. Why exactly, You guys aren’t sharing the number of Americans who have been evacuated. I mean, clearly you have that information. That information is being shared with the hill. So um it’s not for lack of information. It’s a decision you’re making. Can you talk a little bit about that? Well look, we’re not trying to hide the ball. What we’re trying to do is to avoid giving you information that may be rough. That may be outdated. Our first priority is the safe evacuation of American citizens, there have been several 1000 Americans who have been evacuated over the course of this operation. But um at the moment, I’m just not, I don’t have in front of me a specific figure to offer. Um but what we are focused on now is making contact with the several 1000 Americans who may remain in Afghanistan uh and who may wish to relocate. Our goal is to uh our commitment is to uh offer tailored personalized guidance to all of them uh to provide instructions as to how they can reach the airport and ultimately how they can be repatriated to the United States. Yes. Uh Hold on, can I just a quick question. Um you talk about the ongoing assistance that the United States will provide to the people of Afghanistan. Um can you give us a status update on humanitarian assistance, security assistance? I mean, how can the Biden administration feel confident to be sending millions of dollars in assistance um if the Taliban are in control of the country? Well, right now we’re not. Uh and we have had a review of our assistance to the Afghan government underway for several days. Now, as I just said, there hasn’t been a formal transfer uh and so we will cross that bridge as the situation develops. And as we do our own evaluation about what is in the interests of the Afghan people, what is consistent with our own interests uh and our values as well. But just as we do in countries around the world, um we can provide humanitarian assistance to the people of Afghanistan. Leaving aside any assistance to an afghan government. That is what we have done. That is what we’ve continued to do. As I mentioned. President Biden only recently authorized 500 million additional dollars in support for vulnerable afghans, including internally displaced persons inside the country for refugees. This is on top of the hundreds of millions of dollars that we have allocated towards the people of Afghanistan this year alone. Are you getting that money into the country right now, given the security situation? So there are still Ngos that are operating on the ground. Just as we do around the world, we have implementing partners who are active to whom we can provide assistance and they in turn can administer that assistance. So we still do have partners on the ground in Afghanistan. Yes. Please. Have you heard any word from the new Iranian President regarding the talks in Vienna? Look, the uh we have made very clear that it remains profoundly in our national interest to seek to effect a mutual return to compliance of the J. C. P. O. A. It remains in our interest for a simple reason because the mutual return to compliance would once again subject Iran to the most rigorous, most intrusive um uh inspections regime ever negotiated. Uh It remains in our interest to see to it that Iran is permanently and verifiably prevented from obtaining a nuclear weapon. I know that the new government in Tehran is still uh information. Uh they have decisions to make about their orientation not only towards the international community but specifically towards uh diplomacy in the context of Vienna and diplomacy two see test the proposition that we can affect a mutual return to compliance. So I will leave it to the Iranians to speak to where they are on this. We have made very clear where we are on this and our allies and partners in the P five plus one context have made that very clear as well. And one more, Hezbollah is trying to import fuel oil from Iran to Lebanon to face the a fuel crisis there. Do you have any reaction to that? Well, again, all of the sanctions that are in place on Iran remain in place when it comes to um petroleum, when it comes to oil? Um that has not changed. Yes, please. So yeah. Question okay. On your on yeah, the Israeli Prime Minister will be uh will be coming to Washington and he will meet President Biden on Thursday? According to multiple media reports, he has a new Iran policy to introduce to President Biden. Uh Do you believe this plan could be an alternative to what has been happening for the few months? I will leave it to the Israeli Prime Minister to describe to the American president, any thoughts that the Israeli government may have when it comes to Iran. I can imagine that Iran will be a topic of discussion uh including regional security issues more broadly, but I also can imagine that um the meeting between President Biden and Prime Minister Bennett, there first will be an opportunity to discuss the strength of the U. S. Israeli relationship. Uh the partnership that uh this administration is committed to deepening uh in the face of Covid uh in the face of regional security concerns and as we seek to um see to it that Israelis and Palestinians alike can enjoy equal measures of what is important to both people, uh prosperity, uh freedom and importantly dignity. I think all of these things will be on the agenda. Uh 11 more uh in Afghanistan, it’s more like a clarification. Usually they do the security check in Kabul or and the multiple different stops and the way to the U. S. What if someone got denied this security check does not, has not been approved. What are you going to do with this person? Well, what I can tell you is the very rigorous vetting that involves intelligence professionals, law enforcement law enforcement professionals. Homeland security professionals will be required before anyone arrives in this country. I’m not in a position to discuss hypothetical, obviously anything like that would be addressed on a case-by-case basis, Michelle, they are releasing almost a billion dollars to Belarus. And I wonder what you think about that, given your attempts to isolate Lukashenko regime, Lukashenko’s regime, look our position on the Lukashenka regime has not changed. We have made very clear, um, uh, what where we stand on this? We call on the Lukashenka regime to end the crackdown on members of civil society, the media, athletes, students, legal professionals and others to immediately release the hundreds of political prisoners who remain outrageously detained, to engage in a genuine dialogue with democratic opposition and civil society, and importantly, to hold free and fair elections under international observation, that is where we have stood. That’s where we continue to stand. I don’t have a response to that. Thank you all very much.