Pentagon Press Secretary John F. Kirby and Army Maj. Gen. William D. “Hank” Taylor, deputy director for regional operations and force management for the Joint Chiefs of Staff, brief the media at the Pentagon.

Transcript

Good morning. Good to see everybody and thanks for joining us on this great terry. I’ll give you a quick operational update and uh as well as I answer your questions and obviously Mr. Kirby’s here also. So we look forward to that. Before I describe the situation in Kabul for the past 24 hours. Uh I want to do a little bit, take the ability to recap the past week and kind of present a holistic view of what’s been accomplished. As you know August 14, we began uh this evacuation operation which really is exactly one week ago today. Since then we have rapidly deployed thousands of troops into Afghanistan. Our footprint continues today to stand at approximately 5800 troops on the ground continuing to provide and secure the Kabul airport to allow for evacuation operations. As you know, these troops were both pre-positioned in the centcom er as well as deployed from the United States. Then as forces steadily flowed in, we successfully secured uh the Kabul airport. If you recall the situation just a week ago, I was a little bit different than than it is today. The airport remains secure. U. S. Military personnel currently oversee flight operations. Both U. S. Military contracted aircraft as well as foreign aircraft continue to operate within Kabul airport. Additionally the U. S. Military has maintained the gate security at major gates and supported our State Department colleagues in the processing of individuals in th Kaaya to prepare for evacuation flights out of Afghanistan critical to getting Americans s ivy applicants and afghans at risk out of the dire situation. Afghanistan requires additional space at intermediate staging bases and safe havens and other locations. This impacts our throughput as I discussed yesterday for example, Two days ago, if you recall the US military airlifted nearly 6000 evacuees in a single day In the last 24 hours six U. S. Military C. 17 and 32 charters departed Kabul Through this combined effort and the total passenger count for those flights was approximately 3800. Also in the past 24 hours a number of C17s are moving between Qatar and Germany providing critical relief that will increase our input to those intermediate staging basis. And finally in the past 24 hours three flights landed at Dulles International Airport. There are now afghans in just one week since beginning this operation have left Afghanistan and will be transitioned to Fort Bliss today for further processing in this process. As you can see this is a very complex and multi-step operation. We are committed to this highly important mission to bring American citizens S. I. V. Applicants and at-risk afghans who have worked alongside of us throughout our time in Afghanistan and vulnerable afghans including women and Children safely out of Afghanistan. Since the end of July we have relocated approximately 22,000 people Since the beginning of this evacuation operation in August 14. We’ve evacuated approximately 17,000. I would add that intelligence, law enforcement and counter terrorism professionals are conducting screening and security vetting for all S. I. V. And others vulnerable afghans before they are allowed to enter into the United States. These agencies are surging resources to evaluate all of these evacuees to ensure the protection of the homeland. This massive effort is the result of teamwork across the agency and the cooperation of our partners around the world who share in this incredible effort. Thank you. Okay it looks like a leader. You’re on the phone. Yes thanks john. Um for either you or the general. Obviously there’s fewer people getting out of Afghanistan over the last 24 hours and the embassy has issued a warning telling people not to go to the airport. Can you talk about the security outside the perimeter? Is it getting worse? And what are the key threats there? Is it afghans trying to get in? Is it Isis is that the Taliban? Can you just give us a clearer picture of the violence going on outside the airport? Yeah. The first part of the question is uh I think uh talked about guidance going out to not come to America. I’m not familiar with that directly. We are continuing to process people throughout the last 24 hours. Uh commanders are metering how many people come in and out of the gate to ensure the safe and ability to screen applicants as they come onto H. Kaaya. Um There has been no reported change uh to the current enemy situation in and around the airport at this time. Yeah, court following that. This, I’ll just read you this part of it was a security alert that came out of the embassy this morning. It’s because of potential security threats outside the gates at Kabul airport were advising us citizens to avoid traveling to the airport and avoid airport gates at this time unless you receive a specific call to come there. So can you explain what is this threat? Is it, is it Taliban? Is it is there an ISIS or al Qaeda angle to this? Yeah, I think you can understand Courtney, why we’re not gonna get into uh specific details about the threat environment or what or what our intelligence is given us. We have said from the very beginning of this uh that we’re gonna try to do this in a safe and orderly way and that means making sure that nobody gets hurt to the maximum extent possible. So what you’re seeing out of our State Department colleagues I think is a prudent notification to make sure that uh that whatever movement there is to the gates from outside the airport is done as safely as possible and that people have the information they need to make the best decisions for themselves going forward. So I do understand the question and the interest, but I I hope you understand that we’re going to be very careful about what kind of what kind of extra context we’re gonna put out there in the information environment. There was a crowd threat that led to the evacuation via helicopter on Thursday of some Americans from right near the airport. So I guess what we’re trying to figure out is is this just a there’s large crowds and it’s difficult for Americans to get there. And that words, there’s actually a threat against the airport. Again, I’m not going to get into specific threat assessments of the situation in Kabul in the whole city is fluid and dynamic and you have seen The images over the last 24 to 40 hours yourself of the situation outside the perimeter of the airport. And it changes, it changes almost by the hour and it changes in locations around the airport. It’s very, very fluid and dynamic. And so, um I don’t want to speak for the State Department obviously, but but like our military commanders, they are going to make decisions in real time about what’s in the best interests of, of innocent civilians that have need to get to the airport and we want to get inside the security gates. We’re just gonna this will this will change uh, you know, every day there’ll be that we modifications to our assessments of the security environment and uh what we think is in the best interests of one other. That’s not related to this is there’s some reports that the afghan military and maybe some others who are rising up against the Taliban particularly some in the north. And I’m wondering if there’s been any request for us military airstrikes to support them. And if so is that the kind of thing that the U. S. Military would engage in? Mm I want to anticipate or talk about the future as you know um no uh current request for that have come in but we continue to maintain the current capability that we’ve had on the ground and in the air since we began operations. The only thing I’d add court is the mission hasn’t changed. The mission of the United States military in Kabul is to secure that airport, keep it secure um uh conduct managing lead Air operations so that we can continue to move people out. That’s the focus of the military mission. A week ago there was a mission to support the and it’s still support the Afghan military with airstrikes. So I mean and that was supposed to continue until August 31. So it stands to reason I know that the situation has changed a lot in the last week. But it stands to reason that the US military would still have the authority if not the uh carry out strikes if requested by the Afghan military. But I guess at this point they have not been requested is what we’re told. Right. Well the general said there’s been no request. I just want to stress that the military mission that we are executing now is a noncombatant evacuation operation. That is what we’re focused on. Thanks. In the last 24 hours to Taliban leadership have named the Haqqanis in charge of securing uh the streets of Kabul and the city of Kabul. Has that been part of the changing situation on the ground and making it less uh safe for Americans to try and travel to the airport. Again, I’m not going to detail the threat assessments and what the intelligence is saying and there is very fluid and very dynamic. What I would tell you is that we continue to have regular communication with Taliban leaders there in Kabul, particularly those that are manning or in charge of the checkpoints around the airport, that communication and deconfliction occurs that that has not changed. Is the concern that while there’s ongoing communication with Taliban near the airport, that there’s a lot less visibility, the farther you go out into the city and that’s possibly where there might be threats of kidnapping or there is that what really return to avoid here? There’s a lot, there’s a whole panoply of security concerns that we have. Uh and again, to my answer to Courtney, this is a non-combatant evacuation. That’s what we’re focused on. And so the idea is the general very clearly indicated in his opening statement is to get as many people uh out as we can as fast as we can. Uh And so that’s what the focus is and clearly in being able in trying to accomplish that mission. Uh we’re taking in a whole wealth of information about what the security environment looks like, but our presence is there at the airport, the mission is there at the airport. Uh and that’s, and that’s the key focus. Is there a sense though, that the window of opportunity here is closing and closing maybe possibly quickly as the security situation on the ground? I think we’ve been very honest about the fact that we know we’re, but that we’re fighting against both time and space. That’s really what we’re, that’s what we’re uh that’s the race that we’re in right now and um, and we’re trying to do this as quickly and as safely as possible. Um, I’m not gonna speculate about whether windows are closing or opening. Uh, we’re focused on accomplishing this mission as fast as we can. Yeah, John two days before Kabul fell, you said from that podium, quote, the city is not right now in any imminent threat environment. How could you get that? So wrong in the moment that I said it, Lucas, uh, it was true. Um, and I understand I’ve, I’ve seen the reactions out there on social media to what I said with Taliban in the moment that I said it based on what we knew at the time. Uh it was a true statement. And yes, two days later, things dramatically changed, I readily admit that things moved very, very quickly Lucas uh and as you heard the Chairman up here just a few days ago say that you know that there was, there wasn’t any indication that you know that they had received that things could evolve as quickly as they did. But education cities have been falling this week every day. Yes, I understand because I understand, I understand all I can tell you is uh in the moment that I made those remarks, they were accurate. I’m committed 100% to being as truthful and as honest up here and as transparent as I can be. Um and I’m comfortable that while others may ridicule what I say and and and take issue with it. I’m comfortable that what I’m giving you is the best information I have the moment that I have it and I would hope and understand that people would see that events have continued did and have continued to evolve very, very quickly. There to Courtney’s excellent line of questioning. The assessment of the threat is going to change and it could change literally by the hour. So we’re trying to give you the best we can and lean as far forward as we can in the moment. But that moment is going to change. It could be changing by the hour you said there was no imminent threat of Kabul falling. That’s again, I think I’ve answered the question. So 10 years ago then General Lloyd Austin is head of US forces in Iraq recommended to the President not to pull troops out of Iraq months ago. Now, Defense Secretary Austin recommended the same thing in Afghanistan. Is he frustrated that presidents are ignoring him? The secretary is 100% focused on the mission at hand-right now, which is a non-combatant evacuation operation and he’s comfortable that throughout this deliberation, his voice was heard that he had uh an opportunity to provide his best advice and counsel to the Commander in chief and to the national security team, as did other leaders here at the pentagon. It was a very inclusive, very deliberate process. Uh And the secretary believes that the President was given the benefit of a lot of different views, not just his but a lot of different views and then the Commander in chief made a decision, that’s how it works, that’s exactly how the process should work. Very calm and deliberate decision-making process. Uh And and once that decision is made, um you execute, that’s that’s the way this building operates, you execute and that’s what we’re doing is the Secretary frustrated that. Now, not once, but twice his advice has been ignored by the secretary is focused on the mission at hand and not revisiting past decisions one way or another, you give your advice and a decision is made and you follow that decision and order is given, you follow that order and that’s what we’re doing. And and as you heard the Secretary say just after the president announced his decision in mid-April that he fully supports that decision. He’s been very clear about that. Has the Secretary thought about resigning? No One factual question, how many of those 17,000 are American citizens? And have there been any Further outside the wire operations by us military? I do not have a breakdown of uh of how many of the 17,000 are Americans and their uh to my knowledge. Since you and I last talked yesterday there have been no additional operations as you put it outside the wire outside the security perimeter of the airport. But look um without getting predictive here, um we have troops in a very uh as I said, dynamic environment, very perilous mission? And they understand that um and they also understand the why they’re there which is to which is to help people. Um and if I’m not going to rule out the possibility that if they see a moment, if they see an opportunity to do it that they won’t do it, what is the sensitivity of going outside the perimeter? The the bridge don’t seem to have any problem with acknowledging. They seem to be doing it pretty openly. I saw a British soldier quoted as saying they were conducting joint patrols with the Taliban. Is there something is there something restraining U. S. Forces from going out and getting people you want. Yeah, genuinely clarifying the numbers. Um just going back to, I think your first question you talked to, just, can you give me the question again and you asked questions, you know, how many of the 17,000? Okay, I think I can help with that John on the numbers of American citizens. Is that what you were asking? Okay. Remember American citizens, that’s approximately 25, It was important. Yes. Um when you talk about the operations, not familiar with, you know, remember that as we look at the joint and coalition of what’s got operating on hK uh those British forces at the gate are part of the entire uh h Kyra Kabul, you know, security zone. So those patrols you’re talking about, I don’t have uh knowledge of people going outside the wire as you speak of patrol is what we do see both the British marines that are on those gates are conducting what we call those local security operations to continue. Uh the best they can to make sure they’re safe, that all of those uh, you know, the large crowds that are, they’re trying to continue to ensure there’s um, you know, control to allow the people that are allowed to and have the right documents to come into the gates, local security operations in or outside. I’m talking in at the Gates, the Gates and our British and other forces there under the operational command of the U. S. Commanders at the, those uh those British forces that are there um at the gates are part of the U. S. For a ford. The operational control of the commander that has uh Kabul Airport has operational control of the British forces families. Yes he’s the he’s the commander. Good. Yeah. General Taylor, can you talked about how the local commanders are now metering people coming in at these gates? Does that suggest that the flow is continuing uh into that and thus if you are an American citizen in Kabul or somewhere else in Afghanistan and can get to the airport, you should try and get to one of these entrances. Uh What I’m saying is that As the American citizens come into the gates we are continuing to process them and get them to safety. I mean that’s our mission. Right? And have any of these gates been actually completely closed in the last 24 hours, let’s make sure you know when you look at the gates and those, you know we’re ensuring the gates are always have the ability to be open in process the right people that come to the gates. Uh So that’s I think very important to understand is uh the gates are always um man by forces there that can process the right people that come to those gates all the time. I’m still I’m still confused here. You’ve got a U. S. Embassy that’s sending out an alert telling American citizens in Kabul do not come to the gate if you want to get out of here because the security situation as john has described as two is too threatening and yet you’re saying you should come to the gate. I did not say you should come. What I said was that good? Um there our military forces at the gate have the ability to continue to process those that come to the gate. How many years old? Mhm. There’s there’s there’s multiple gates right now as we uh as we look at there’s you know 34 main gates that were processing evacuates through overnight the two were opened. Is that correct? Two additional you say do additional gates. I don’t have that report of two additional gates. Let me get to the phone a little bit more. Yeah. Uh injuries. Hey John Thanks. Uh just wanted to confirm over the past 1224 hours how many gates have been closed? Um and have been for long periods of time or short? Mhm. Just go back Those gates are open and closed as uh as required. There’s been short durations throughout the last 24 where gates have been closed uh to allow the proper people to come in and out of those gates. Okay uh Let’s see I needed for Kelly from next door. Okay anymore in the room louis Um can I go back to the 2500 Americans estimate. Um That’s a very small portion Of the 15,000 that the president has said maybe maybe the top number of Americans inside? Um are you making efforts to try to bring more Americans in? I know you’re you’re cautioning them to be aware of the threat environment at the gates, but at the same time, how do you get all those and that many Americans into the airport? If there really are that many Americans in country? Well, I think you’ve heard to say before, we don’t have a perfect figure of how many are in Afghanistan, let alone Kabul. Uh and as the general said, if you’re an American um and you’re at a gate, you will be let in that gate. Mm The State Department’s doing the best job they can to advise Americans who still haven’t made it to the airport, what the situation looks like around the airport and that would be the prudent thing to do. Uh And as you also heard the president made clear yesterday that we’re going to continue to explore options uh to assist Americans as needed and we will do that. We will do that here at the pentagon if there’s if there’s a need, if there’s a need to do something different than what we are already doing to facilitate them getting into the airport, then we’ll certainly consider those options. Is there a separate advisory that goes out to afghan nationals who have the visas in hand. I mean, are they to being told the moment the threat dynamic is dynamic. I mean, the threat situation is dynamic right now be aware, I mean, are they getting similar messages? I would have to refer you to the State Department. My understanding is that there is a uh that there’s ways to communicate to that population, but how that’s done uh that that’s that’s not A D. O. D. Equity. I wouldn’t be able to speak to that with any great clarity. Um since the mission with the three chinooks that rescued 169 Americans, have there been any other airlift rescue operations? And is that may be a way that uh other Americans who are still stranded might be able to get to the airport? No. And I won’t speculate about potential future operations going forward. Question for you. You talked about the throughput and increasing the throughput of afghans. Can you talk about the different bases that are opening up and how is that sorting done? How did three aircraft go straight to Dulles and then go straight to bliss and then some go to Germany, how how those decisions being so as flights are manifested meaning a roster, let’s put together at h chi of who’s on those aircraft and decisions made of were that, you know, could go to, let’s say, you know, some flights were going into Qatar to take her so there so that afghans could then be held there, you know, temporarily and then waiting for other flights uh to go. So what we’re trying to do is keep the airflow that’s in the theater right from having to go far that continue to drop people off to allow other flights uh to take from uh from Qatar forward uh for instance into Dulles. So you know we depends on how many folks we have uh what it is it a full flight of S. I. V. Is that other afghans? Is it you know Americans? So that is just extremely dynamic. And you know Transcom and the coroner says those manifests are done. They make those decisions on the spot. The idea that only S. I. V. S. Have been fully processed are going to be coming into the U. S. For now. Or will there be a situation where any of the afghans that are evacuated will be brought onto basis and then work through the system once they’re here. So it’s very important that we will continue to do is the full screening and vetting process that takes place from the beginning all the way to making a final decision of where somebody goes. I know we will continue that and then going back to right now. The the guidance is and will continue is uh to continue to increase our our outflows uh to make that happen general. Yes is the American flag flying at the airport in Kabul right now. Yeah. Yes There’s some talk from veterans people who served in Afghanistan that the US embassy which cost over nearly $800 million dollars to build. Why was that closed? And the flag taken to the airport shouldn’t the flag come down the last from an embassy when conducting an evacuation? I can’t speak for the decision to the embassy makes and what they’ve done. I know that embassy operations and consular operations continue on Kabul airport and as you know at the military headquarters where U. S. Personnel are continuing to execute the mission uh the flag flies evacuating a country, doesn’t the American flag come down from the embassy? Alas, that’s what a lot of veterans are saying just over two. Yeah, I’m just gonna say is uh the fact the flag continues to to fly and the mission continues right now. Okay. Just a couple more Courtney one for each of you john the our congressman McCarthy put out a statement last night saying that within moments of President Biden saying that we have succeeded in Afghanistan, The Secretary Austin and General Milley provided a bleak assessment of the situation on the ground and and that he’s saying that Secretary Austin specifically acknowledge that Americans were being beaten on their way to the airport. Can you give us any more detail about what um who these Americans are that? Senator Austin was talking about Courtney. We’ve actually been talking about this for several days here here at this particular podium. We know of cases a small number that we know of. We don’t have perfect visibility, but we know of a small number of cases where some Americans uh, and uh, and certainly as the Secretary also said in that statement, afghans, afghans that we want to evacuate. Not it wasn’t just Americans that he talked about have been harassed and in some cases beaten. We don’t believe it is a very large number. Uh, and in a matter of fact, the uh, the numbers would indicate. And I’ve said this before that, that most, by and large, most Americans who who have their credentials with them are being allowed through the Taliban checkpoints and and onto and onto the gate and onto the, into the gate and onto the airfield. So by and large, um, most Americans are having no problems that we’re aware of now. Uh, I have to caveat it and I’ll do it again. And I’ve done it every day. We are aware of sporadic cases that where they aren’t being allowed, where there is some harassment going on. And yes, some physical violence has occurred. And um, as the secretary has made clear and he made clear in that phone call, that’s unacceptable. And Admiral Admiral basically has made that clear to the Taliban commanders that he’s talking to that it’s unacceptable. But what I’m wondering is the case is that the Secretary was talking to the members about, were those occurring yesterday? I mean, are these reasons, are we talking about cases that were over the course of the last week we have become, we have been made aware of this. I mean more cases since the US started talking to the Taliban and telling them not to do, I don’t have an exact breakdown day by day, Courtney, I mean we’ve been in touch with the Taliban for quite some time I think over the course of the last week. Um and we’ve certainly made our concerns known uh, and I think equally frustrating uh, is the fact that that not what appears to be happening, is that not every Taliban fighter either got the word or decided to obey the word and I can’t speak to Taliban command and control, but by and large. And for the most part Americans with their credentials are being given the passage they need through the checkpoints and getting onto the field again, security conditions permitting. Just one more for you. General Taylor. There were some reports overnight on social media including some pictures showing empty C17 flying out, some people passengers saying that they were virtually empty when they were leaving. Is that the case? I mean, do you have any sense of our some aircraft leaving Kabul Airport relatively empty without evacuees and if so, why first, you know that flight cycle continues, you know, and what the commanders on the ground no, is to continue to evacuate and ensure uh everybody gets out as fast as possible. What we don’t know is maybe on that switch, would I’m not aware of that exact flight. Might have had a different mission to do something else. So I can’t answer that. But what I do know is you’ve seen in our throughput Is we’re getting those that are ready to fly that have been fully screened, ready to fly on aircraft and moving to onward destinations. The 3800 that you mentioned in your opening statement that is those are including the 32 charters that went out and other That’s correct. We know how many of the six million military C17. Do you know how many people were on those? Approximately 1600. Thank you. Okay, last one eric eric eric general 17,000 have been evacuated. Do you know roughly how many have gone to that initial way stop whether it’s Qatar or Now, as we learned yesterday? Uh the E and Bahrain also took some of those initial flights and it’s the Qatar facility essentially full up this point you’re going to have to permanently transition to some of these other intermediate way stations. So as your marriage, we talked about the number that continue to move um I just wanna talk about Qatar, you know uh specifically there was time period yesterday where uh we delayed flights going in there to allow other flights to leave to ensure that the current capacity, that cutter, which was really well done there to continue to build that capacity so fast, um, to allow those flights depart before we bring flights in and now that we have Ramstein Open, also, like I mentioned earlier, That will allow us today in the next 24, uh, is the plan to assess to get back into numbers that we saw the day before, uh, and moving them out. Okay. Thanks everybody.