Republican Arkansas Sen. Tom Cotton called on “stranded” Americans in Kabul, Afghanistan, to contact his office for assistance Sunday during the Taliban’s continuous takeover of the country.
The Taliban, a radical Islamic force that formerly ruled the nation, entered Afghanistan’s capital, Kabul, Sunday after former President Ashraf Ghani fled the country. The White House announced on Aug. 14 that President Joe Biden’s administration made the decision to deploy 5,000 U.S. troops to Afghanistan to assist the personnel in evacuating the U.S. Embassy in Kabul.
“If you’re an American stranded in Afghanistan, or know one who is, please contact my office immediately. (501) 223-9081 or evac@cotton.senate.gov,” Cotton said Sunday. “The situation is dire, but we’ll do everything in our power to help keep you informed and to help you get out.”
If you’re an American stranded in Afghanistan, or know one who is, please contact my office immediately:
(501) 223-9081 or
evac@cotton.senate.govThe situation is dire, but we’ll do everything in our power to help keep you informed and to help get you out.
— Tom Cotton (@SenTomCotton) August 15, 2021
Several U.S. citizens informed Cotton’s office that they were trapped behind Taliban checkpoints in Kabul and said that they cannot “safely reach the U.S. perimeter and have no clear option of what to do,” according to Maggie Haberman of The New York Times.
Cotton spokesman says that their office has heard from multiple US citizens in Kabul trapped behind Taliban checkpoints, who can’t safely reach the US perimeter and have no clear option for what to do. https://t.co/rY5QTSPLKd
— Maggie Haberman (@maggieNYT) August 16, 2021
Due to an erupted gunfire at the Kabul airport, all commercial travel had been canceled throughout the day, causing the embassy to order everyone to shelter in place and avoid airports, The Associated Press reported. Helicopters landed at the embassy to rush diplomats to a new outpost at the airport and continued all evacuations on military flights. (RELATED: ‘An Unmitigated Disaster Of Epic Proportions’: Biden Blasted For Being On Vacation As The Taliban Takes Over Afghanistan)
The Taliban’s invasion happened following Biden’s April 14 vow to withdraw all troops from Afghanistan by Sept. 11 in an attempt to end the 21-year conflict. The president extended former President Donald Trump’s deadline to withdraw U.S. troops by May 1, calling the former president’s plan “unrealistic.”
The U.S. Embassy in Afghanistan urged any American citizen in Afghanistan to leave immediately in an Aug. 12 security alert. The Department of State previously ordered on April 27 that U.S. government employees exit Kabul and finish their duties elsewhere due to the increasing violence and unrest.