Members of the staff at the U.S. Embassy in Kabul, Afghanistan, are reportedly discouraged by the evacuation efforts, saying they are “deeply disheartened.”
The staff claimed they were hit, spat on and cursed by Taliban fighters at checkpoints close to the airport, according to a State Department cable obtained NBC News. They also reported that there were criminals who were taking advantage of the situation while the U.S. Military attempted to keep order “in an extremely physical situation,” as NBC News reports.
There were some staff members who said they came close to being separated from their children. Others collapsed in a crowd of people and were taken to hospitals to be treated for injuries, according to the cable.
One staff member said, “It would be better to die under the Taliban’s bullet.”
Memos were sent advising staff members to go to the airport in Kabul. They were encouraged to bring food and prepare for conditions that could be difficult, as NBC News notes.
The cable added, “However, no one anticipated the brutal experience that occurred.”
President Joe Biden discussed evacuation efforts while delivering remarks Sunday.
“There’s no way to evacuate this many people without pain and loss of heartbreaking images you see on television. It’s just a fact,” Biden said.
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He was also asked by a reporter, “Will you extend that deadline, or what is your thought process on extending the evacuation operation?”
Biden replied, “There’s discussions going on among us and the military about extending. Our hope is we will not have to extend but there are going to be discussions I suspect on how far along we are in the process.”
A spokesperson for the Taliban, Dr Suhail Shaheen, issued a warning to Biden if he opts to extend the efforts past the deadline of August 31.
“It’s a red line. President Biden announced that on 31 August they would withdraw all their military forces. So if they extend it that means they are extending occupation while there is no need for that,” Shaheen said.
He warned, “If the US or UK were to seek additional time to continue evacuations – the answer is no. Or there would be consequences.”