President Joe Biden: Evacuating Thousands From Kabul Will Be Difficult And Painful

US soldiers give drinks to people waiting in line at the entrance to Kabul airport, Afghanistan. (Twitter/@DeptofDefense)

JAKARTA - United States (US) President Joe Biden stressed that his party is determined to take US citizens and Afghans who are at risk out of the country, as the Taliban ousted thousands of people outside Kabul airport on Sunday.

Biden said the security situation in Afghanistan is changing rapidly and his government is not under any illusions about the threat from Islamic State militants in Afghanistan known as ISIS-K (for Khorasan).

The Taliban, who seized power in Afghanistan last week when the United States and its allies withdrew its troops after a 20-year war, opened fire and used batons to force people to queue outside the airport, witnesses said. On Saturday, seven people died in an accident at the gate.

"Let me be clear, the evacuation of thousands of people from Kabul is going to be difficult and painful, it will be that way, no matter when it begins. We have a long way to go and a lot can go wrong," President Biden said at the White House, citing Reuters Monday, Aug. 23.

President Biden said he had directed the State Department to contact Americans stranded in Afghanistan by phone, email, and other means. The US government said it had plans to move them to the airport.

"We're working on plans to move this group of Americans to a safe place, safely and effectively moving them to the airport complex. For security reasons, I won't go into details, but I'll say again today what I've said before, everyone. America that wants to go home, will go home," he said.

"West Afghanistan's allies and vulnerable Afghan citizens such as women activists and journalists will also be helped," President Biden continued.

On Sunday, no one was seriously injured when gunmen pushed back the crowd, according to witnesses. The Taliban have been cooperative about expanding the airport's perimeter, said President Biden.

Asked by a reporter if the United States would extend the August 31 deadline for evacuations, Biden replied: "Our hope is that we don't have to extend, but there will be discussions, which I suspect will take place around how far we are in the process."

The British Ministry of Defense said seven Afghans were killed in clashes around the airport on Saturday, as thousands tried to flee. Sky News showed soldiers against the wall on Saturday trying to pull in the injured, spraying people with hoses to prevent them from becoming dehydrated.

Meanwhile, a NATO official said at least 20 people had died in the past seven days in and around the airport. Some were shot and others were trampled to death, witnesses said.

The United States itself on Sunday requested the assistance of six commercial airlines to transport people after their evacuation from Afghanistan. The Pentagon said it would use 18 planes from United Airlines, American Airlines, Delta Air, and others to carry refugees from temporary locations.