'US mulling to extend Afghanistan evacuation mission beyond Aug 31': Joe Biden

Amid the Afghanistan crisis, US President Joe Biden said that the country was mulling to extend the pullout of the US troops beyond August 31. The US President stated that discussions were ongoing amongst the military and the US government over the deadline since the US was not certain over how far they were along the process. Biden also affirmed that the US was maintaining constant vigilance to disrupt threats from any source.

"Discussions are going on among us and the military about extending (Aug 31 evacuation deadline), our hope is, we don't have to extend. But there is going to be a discussion, I suspect on how far along we're in the process," said US President Joe Biden said during an address from White House.

"We know that terrorists may seek to exploit the situation and target innocent Afghans or American troops. We're maintaining constant vigilance to monitor and disrupt threats from any source, including ISIS and the Afghan affiliate known as ISIS-K," Biden added.

US fast-tracks evacuation missions

According to the data released by the Pentagon, the US had evacuated over 17,000 people from Afghanistan since August 14, a day before the fall of the capital city of Kabul. US Major General Hank Taylor on Sunday stated that six military C-17 planes and 32 charter flights had departed Kabul airport in the past 24 hours with 3,800 people aboard. The US military also sent helicopters to rescue over 150 Americans unable to reach the airport gates. 

Amid criticism surrounding his 'chaotic' withdrawal plan from Afghanistan which has witnessed a takeover by the Taliban, Biden, has defended his decision and said that while the decision to withdraw was hard, it was the right one for America. Stating that the US could not anticipate the rapid fall of the government, he said there is 'never a good time to withdraw US forces from Afghanistan.' 

"I am President of the US and the buck stops with me. I am saddened by the facts the world now faces, but that the decision was the correct one for America. Our mission in Afghanistan was never supposed to have been nation-building. Our only interest was preventing any attacks on our homeland," said Biden.