[Epoch Times August 26, 2021](Epoch Times reporter Li Xin comprehensive report) The US Embassy in Afghanistan issued a security alert on Wednesday (August 25), urging Americans outside the gate of Kabul International Airport to leave immediately. U.S. citizens are advised not to go to the airport.
“Due to security threats outside the gate of Kabul Airport, we recommend that American citizens avoid going to the airport and avoid the airport gate at this time unless you receive individual instructions from a representative of the U.S. government.” Wrote in the security alert issued on Thursday morning local time.
The alert emphasized that US citizens currently at the Abbey Gate, East Gate and North Gate of the airport should “leave immediately.”
A spokesperson for the US State Department also stated in an e-mail statement that evening that Kabul Airport is currently in such a “dynamic and unstable security situation.”
Although it is not clear why the US embassy issued the alert, according to the US media “Capitol Hill” (The Hill), just before the US embassy issued the alert, the British Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs Department (FCDO) also issued an announcement. A similar alert tells British citizens in Afghanistan to avoid the airport due to the “ongoing and high threat of terrorist attacks.”
A few hours before the U.S. Embassy suddenly issued this alert, U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken also stated that as long as the Taliban continue to cooperate, the U.S. will complete the evacuation mission by the August 31 deadline as planned.
At a press conference held on Wednesday afternoon, Brinken emphasized the complexity and danger of the evacuation operation.
“We are operating in a hostile environment in a city and country currently controlled by the Taliban. ISIS-K is very likely to launch an attack.” Brinken said. He was deeply concerned about the threat posed to the U.S. military by ISIS-K, the branch of the terrorist organization Islamic State (ISIS) in Afghanistan, and called the cooperation between the U.S. government and the Taliban “risky.”
Brinken said that it is estimated that as many as 1,500 Americans are still stranded in Afghanistan, adding that as of Wednesday, US officials are in contact with about 500 people and are giving them instructions on how to reach Kabul Airport safely.
He also said that in the past 10 days, the US State Department has evacuated approximately 4,500 US citizens.
Editor in charge: Ye Ziwei#
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