The US is engaging with the Taliban on a daily basis as the ongoing Afghan evacuation faces the August 31 deadline, US National Security Adviser Jake Sullivan has said.
President Joe Biden has left open the possibility of extending the ongoing evacuation beyond August 31, the date he previously set to end the US military mission in Afghanistan, according to reports. Taliban spokesman Suhail Shaheen, however, made clear that such extension would be unacceptable.
At a White House briefing on Monday, Sullivan said, "We are in talks with the Taliban on a daily basis through both political and security channels," he said when asked about talks with the Taliban over the extension issue. "I'm not going to get into the details of those discussions here to protect those discussions, which are covering a wide range of issues." Sullivan added that the US is consulting the Taliban "on every aspect of what's happening in Kabul right now" and would continue those conversations. He also said, "As the president has said before, we believe that we have time between now and the 31st to get out any American that wants to get out." he said, adding that "the president will ultimately make his decision about the precise shape and scope of this operation." State Department spokesperson Ned Price said later in the day that the US had discussed the issue of Kabul airport with the Taliban.
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