Page 990 - Capability News Today

Maybe not even any of these afghan allies anymore getting out. >> reporter: yeah. i mean, the window is absolutely closing pretty rapidly. it will take at least 48 hours for the coalition forces here, led by the u.s., but a thousand brits here, norwegians, all kinds of forces around. some question as to whether or not the turks may stay on to help secure the airport for civi civilian traffic so others may be able to leave in the future. that will largely depend on the permission of the taliban a...

Theres no way to evacuate this many people without pain and loss of heartbreaking images you see on television. its just a fact. >> reporter: but republicans adamant afghanistan could now become the same haven for terrorists it was on 9/11. >> our mission in afghanistan was to deny terrorists sanctuary and the biden decision now to completely withdraw has handed them an entire country. >> maryalice parks joins us from the white house now. maryalice, how is the white house responding to congressw...

Operational, logistical, human. and it has produced searing images of pain and desperation. but no operation like this, no evacuation from a capital that has fallen in a civil war could have fallen without those images. the question is if we are on track to fulfill the objectives of this operation to bring out our people, so many of the afghans who helped us, and so many of the afghans at rigk, and we believe we are. as we conduct the operations, we are sustaining the highest level of vigilance ...

Throughput is very important. so as we look at airfield operations and the ability to get aircraft planned safely drives the time on the ground to maximize the amount of evacwees that we can get out. the numbers require, as you said, aircraft on average to be on the ground less than an hour. i do know that they are facilitating and want to continue to use every capability possible to get people out of kabul. so thats all i have. >> on the phone here, sam?

And of course there is the possibility that al-qaeda could reconstitute an external plotting capability in afghanistan. >> reporter: there is particular concern that americas intelligence capabilities have been dramatically cut back in recent weeks as u.s. military units withdrew. >> what we have now with the closure of the u.s. embassy and really with the evolution of the afghan intelligence service is that key human piece really dissolving. thats something that will really be hard to replace. ...

That is the mission that had been signed by the commander in chief assigned to us and thats what were trying to execute at. go ahead. >> are the forces remaining now in kabul focussing on that evacuation mission the u.s. forces, of course, are they maintaining that capability to maybe deal with threat from taliban beyond the august 31st deadline or maybe attacks? >> yeah. again, i appreciate the question in terms of hypothesizing past the 31st. we just arent there yet. our troops are focussed on...

Air fleet. using 18 aircrafts from united and american to move evacuees from the middle east on ward. for now, the u.s. prioritizing getting american citizens out. the senior state department official says there are still several thousand more. the pentagon acknowledging helicopters have left the airport not once but twice to pick up evacuees. the pentagons press secretary hinting at more. >> on occasion where there is a need and there is a capability to meet that need, our commanders on the gro...

Tells us today is not present in afghanistan. what is present in afghanistan right now to our forces at the airport is a serious threat from isis that we will try to deal with and of course there is the possibility that al qaeda could reconstitute an external capability on afghanistan. >> dana: this is between peter doocy asking americans and being stranded in afghanistan. >> most of the criticism is not of leaving afghanistan, it is the way that he has ordered it to happen by pulling the troops...

Airport on a case by case basis. your question was -- its not regular. i dont want to leave you with the idea that were patrolling the streets of kabul, but if there is a need and a capability to meet that need welcome our commanders will do what they need to do to help americans reach the airport. there is a variety of methods that can be affected. were using the variety of methods at our disposal. >> has there been additional cases since there. >> there has been at least one additional instanc...

Brought in safely and prepared for evacuation. >> so just so i can understand what youre saying just to recap, you think that at 5,800 troops the u.s. has the capability now to expand the perimeter at the airport and continue all of this to or to do whatever the president had mentioned with the opening of the perimeter and also do extractions if needed? or are you going to ask for authorization of more troops? >> no, what i said is that 5,800 were able to continue to secure the airfield, continu...