'We won't get everyone out even by Sept 11': Democrat and Republican lawmakers and veterans pay secret trip to Kabul and say Biden will abandon people because he started evacuation so late
Two US military vets who now serve as congressmen flew unannounced into Afghanistan to monitor the on going evacuation efforts as they called on President Joe Biden to extend the US withdrawal deadline past August 31.
Rep. Seth Moulton, a Democrat from Massachusetts, and Rep. Peter Meijer, a Republican from Michigan, flew in and out of Kabul airport on Tuesday, with both men adding that they boarded return flights with empty seats so as not to take away space from fleeing Americans and Afghans.
They appeared to condemn Joe Biden over his chaotic withdrawal from the war-torn country, and predicted the US would not be able to airlift everyone eligible to leave Afghanistan on time.
'We conducted this visit in secret, speaking about it only after our departure, to minimize the risk and disruption to the people on the ground, and because we were there to gather information, not to grandstand,' the two said in a joint statement.
'As veterans, we care deeply about the situation on the ground at Hamid Karzai International Airport. America has a moral obligation to our citizens and loyal allies, and we must make sure that obligation is being kept.'
US Representatives Peter Meijer, left, and Seth Moulton, who both served in Iraq and went aboard a secret trip to Afghanistan to monitor the evacuation efforts
Peter Meijer served in the US Army and went on to do humanitarian work in Afghanistan
Seth Moulton served in the Marine Corps and went on to host a TV show in Iraq
Later on, they added: 'It’s obvious that because we started the evacuation so late, that no matter what we do, we won’t get everyone out on time, even by September 11.
'Sadly and frustratingly, getting our people out depends on maintaining the current, bizarre relationship with the Taliban.'
Both Congressmen insisted their trip was meant to help ensure the US was upholding its promises to evacuate Afghan people who'd aided its fight against the Taliban.
They paid for their own tickets to the United Arab Emirates, then boarded a US military plane bound for Kabul. Further details on how the men managed to get on board that aircraft have not been disclosed.
But the move left the State Department, Defense Department and White House officials furious, the Associated Press reported, as it was done without coordination with diplomats or military commanders directing the evacuation.
Officials said they also had to divert resources away from the evacuation effort to provide security and information for the congressmen.
Meijer served in Iraq and later did humanitarian related work with a nongovernmental organization in Afghanistan, delivering emergency assistance to aid workers after kidnappings and targeted killings.
Moulton served in the Marine Corps in Iraq and served four tours of duty as an infantry officer. He later worked to establish an independent media in central Iraq and became the host of the Moulton & Mohammed television show.
Moulton shared a tweet of the ongoing evacuation at the airport, calling the desperate scramble at Kabul 'raw and visceral.'
Moulton tweeted about his experience in Afghanistan on Tuesday
Families begin to board a US Air Force Boeing C-17 Globemaster III during an evacuation at Hamid Karzai International Airport
Afghan passengers board a U.S. Air Force C-17 Globemaster III during the Afghanistan evacuation at Hamid Karzai Airport
'After talking with commanders on the ground and seeing the situation here, it is obvious that because we started the evacuation so late, that no matter what we do, we won't get everyone out on time, even by September 11,' both congressmen said.
'Sadly and frustratingly, getting our people out depends on maintaining the current bizarre relationship with the Taliban.'
Biden has repeatedly said that the US will stick to the August 31 deadline to completely withdraw all US citizens and their allies out of Afghanistan.
Afghans are being evacuated from Kabul airport at a 'war footing' pace with satellite images showing thousands queueing to leave the country as the August 31 deadline for flights to stop looms large.
The US said some 12,700 people boarded mercy flights in the last 24 hours bringing the total evacuated since August 14 to almost 60,000, while Britain managed to air-lift 2,000 in the last 24 hours bringing its total to 8,500.
But France, the UK and Spain have warned that - even at the current pace - some of those promised sanctuary will be left behind unless the August 31 deadline is extended.
Graph showing the number of people evacuated from Kabul, Afghanistan, by country as of August 23, 2021 at 1700 GMT
The US said some 16,000 people were flown out of Kabul between Sunday morning and Monday afternoon, with thousands more due to leave the country today (pictured, a satellite image shows people boarding a military plane)
Diplomats insist that the situation on the ground has improved since the weekend with more people being allowed into the airport, but satellite images showed huge crowds continuing to mass
A satellite image reveals thousands of people standing in huge queues trying to get into Kabul airport with just a week left until evacuation flights out of Afghanistan are due to stop
A source close to the evacuation operation told CNN that around 6,500 people were waiting for flights on Tuesday.
Democratic U.S. Representative Adam Schiff, chairman of the House of Representatives Intelligence Committee, told reporters after a briefing on Afghanistan by intelligence officials that he did not believe the evacuation could be completed in the eight remaining days.
'I think it's possible but I think it's very unlikely given the number of Americans who still need to be evacuated,' Schiff said.
A Taliban official said on Monday an extension would not be granted, though he said foreign forces had not sought one. Washington said negotiations were continuing.
CIA Director William Burns is thought to have travelled to Kabul on Monday to meet with Taliban leaders, the Washington Post reported, in what would be the highest-level meeting between the Islamists and the Biden administration to date.
Sources told the paper that discussion topics included the troop withdrawal deadline, but the CIA refused to comment when asked.
A US Marine comforts an infant while they wait for the mother during an evacuation at Hamid Karzai International Airport
U.S. Marines provides sunscreen to a child during an evacuation at Hamid Karzai International Airport, Afghanistan
People disembark at the arrival of a chartered Air Belgium airplane carrying evacuated people from Afghanistan, at the military airport in Melsbroek