The U.S. Embassy quickly withdrew a “final warning” which said that Americans who “choose to” remain in Afghanistan “should be prepared to arrange their departure without assistance from the U.S. government.”
“THIS IS THE FINAL MESSAGE FOR AMERICAN CITIZENS WHO WISH TO DEPART KABUL. American citizens who choose to remain in Afghanistan should be prepared to arrange their departure without assistance from the U.S. government,” the embassy texted Americans on Tuesday, The New York Times’ Catie Edmondson tweeted.
US embassy in Afghanistan today sent out a “final message” for Americans wanting to leave Kabul with government help, per source. Tells them to bring husband or wife and children under 21 only. pic.twitter.com/zCc52MOFGU
— Catie Edmondson (@CatieEdmondson) August 24, 2021
The embassy recalled the alert 30 minutes after it was sent, according to NBC News’ Richard Engel.
US embassy issues last alert for US citizens to leave afghanistan or they’re on their own, then recalls it 30 mins later.
— Richard Engel (@RichardEngel) August 24, 2021
“We sent an email to American citizens earlier that was recalled for technical reasons,” a State Department spokesperson told the Daily Caller. “We shortly thereafter sent a revised email, and recipients should follow the instructions in that message. For security reasons, we are not going to get into further detail.”
President Joe Biden announced Tuesday that he would not extend the American military’s withdrawal deadline even if Americans remain trapped in Afghanistan. The administration’s internal numbers show that thousands of Americans are likely to remain stranded in-country. (RELATED: US Military Begins Reducing Kabul Troop Presence After Taliban Negotiations: REPORT)
Republicans and Democrats have called on Biden to extend the deadline, although the Taliban has said that it will view doing so as a “red line” and “extending the occupation.”
“I’m certainly of the view that we maintain a military presence as long as it’s necessary to get all U.S. persons out, and to meet our moral and ethical obligation to our Afghan partners,” Democratic California Rep. Adam Schiff said Monday.
“The president needs to forget about the August 31st deadline. We need to send enough American personnel, military personnel to rescue our people, and by the way, there are more American soldiers there now than before the president made the decision to leave. Extend the deadline. Get outside the perimeter, make sure that every single American who wants to leave is able to get out with our assistance, and our Afghan allies,” Republican Kentucky Sen. Mitch McConnell said Tuesday.