American citizens in Afghanistan should stay away from the international airport in Kabul, the U.S. Embassy now says.
The development directly contradicts President Biden’s insistence Friday that Americans could proceed to the airport freely from the Afghan capital and that an “agreement” with the Taliban had been reached over the issue.
“Because of potential security threats outside the gates at the Kabul airport, we are advising U.S. citizens to avoid traveling to the airport and to avoid airport gates at this time,” according to a Saturday security alert from the embassy.
The new guidance underscores the growing debacle, as contradictory White House statements confuse the crisis on the ground, with the U.S. scrambling to evacuate its citizens and Afghan allies from the clutches of the Taliban.
The Islamic fundamentalists have taken control of the capital — and the U.S. says they do not have the logistical capacity to enter the city and rescue individual Americans.
While the airport remains under U.S. control, the trek to the American oasis has become incredibly perilous, with militants setting up arbitrary and often violent checkpoints along the road, according to CNN.
In the last 24 hours, six U.S. Military C-17s and 32 charter flights have left the airport carrying a total 3,800 passengers, military officials reported Saturday. In Germany Saturday, American soldiers were seen readying barracks for refugees.