Biden mulling rescue ops beyond Kabul airport, vows to get US nationals home

By Michael Hernandez

WASHINGTON (AA) - US President Joe Biden said on Friday that he is considering authorizing rescue operations beyond Kabul's international airport for Americans and Afghans who aided the US.

"We're considering every opportunity and every means by which we could get folks to the airport," the president told reporters at the White House. He further pledged to ensure that Americans in the war-torn country are able to leave, telling those who want to be evacuated: "We will get you home."

Biden said he is making the same commitment for Afghans who aided the US and its allies during the 20-year war, saying that while "there's no one more important" than US nationals during the evacuation process, "they're equally important almost."

The president is facing criticism from Republicans and his fellow Democrats for chaotic scenes at Kabul's Hamid Karzai International Airport after the Taliban captured the Afghan capital on Sunday.

So far, over 13,000 people have been evacuated since the US took control of the airport on Aug. 14 as the Taliban swept through Afghanistan in a blitz offensive that caught many, including Biden and his senior officials, by surprise.

"Thousands more," Biden said, "have been evacuated on private charter flights facilitated by the US government."

The US has deployed nearly 6,000 troops to the airport to secure the facility, and run air traffic control for military and civilian flights.