President Biden Guarantees The Evacuation Of All Americans In Afghanistan, The Pentagon Takes Over Control Of Kabul Airport

JAKARTA - The United States military may remain in Afghanistan after August 31, to evacuate American citizens, while the Department of Defense obtains flight control authorization for this purpose.

US President Joe Biden said this directly, as pressure grew to extend the last withdrawal deadline he had previously set.

"If there are any Americans left, we will stay until we get them all out", President Biden said.

President Biden has come under heavy criticism for his handling of the withdrawal, which in recent days has been dominated by scenes of chaos in and around Kabul airport with people desperately trying to get out of the country.

However, President Biden defended his decision, saying problems were inevitable in ending 20 years of US involvement there.

"The idea that somehow, there's a way to get out without the mess going on, I don't know how that happened", President Biden said.

The speed with which Taliban forces recaptured Afghanistan, as the US and other foreign forces withdrew, has led to chaotic scenes at the airport with diplomats, foreigners, and Afghans trying to escape but they are blocked by crowds and Taliban checkpoints.

"We're going to do everything we can to continue to try and defuse the conflict and make a way for them to get to the airfield. I don't have the ability to go out and expand operations right now to Kabul", U.S. Secretary of Defense Lloyd Austin told reporters at the Pentagon.

Separately, the US Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) said domestic airlines and civilian pilots could fly to Kabul Airport to perform evacuation or relief flights, subject to prior US Department of Defense approval.

The FAA said US airlines cannot fly in Afghan airspace or fly to Hamid Karzai International Airport in Kabul unless they have approval. Meanwhile, other flights are prohibited from crossing over Afghanistan, if they do not have permission from the FAA.

"All relief flights to Kabul must have permission from the Department of Defense", the FAA said, referring to the current limited air traffic control services in Afghanistan.

A White House official told reporters Wednesday evening local time that the US military on the last day evacuated about 1.800 people in 10 C-17s. Since August 14, the United States has evacuated nearly 6.000 people.

Meanwhile, a Pentagon spokesman told reporters the US military had taken control of air traffic at Kabul airport.