Afghan evacuation on track as humanitarian crisis looms, says Biden

U.S. President, Joe Biden said U.S. troops in Afghanistan faced mounting danger as they pushed to complete evacuations by Aug. 31 deadline, with aid agencies warning of a looming humanitarian crisis for the population left behind.

The United States and its allies have evacuated more than 70,000 people, including their citizens, NATO personnel and Afghans at risk.

Western countries are now rushing to complete the airlift before the deadline for the withdrawal of foreign troops under an agreement struck with the Taliban last year to end America’s longest war.

Biden said U.S. troops were on pace to meet the deadline, “The sooner we can finish, the better. Each day of operations brings added risk to our troops,” he said.

While the focus is now on those people trying to flee, the risk of starvation, disease and persecution.

“The number of people marching towards starvation has spiked to now 14 million.”

Afghanistan’s population is estimated at 36 million though no census has been completed over more than 40 years of warfare and refugee movements.

The EU said this week it was planning a quadrupling in aid and was seeking coordination with the United Nations on delivery as well as safety guarantees on the ground.

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Kamila/Reuters