The latest on Afghanistan as US troop withdrawal deadline looms

The Biden administration announced another set of Afghanistan evacuation numbers in the last 24-hour period from 3:00 a.m. ET Monday to 3:00 a.m. ET Tuesday.

More than 21,000 people were evacuated from the Kabul airport in total, per a White House official:

That brings the total to 58,700 evacuated since Aug. 14, and 63,900 people evacuated since the end of July.

The 12,700 number is the largest number evacuated on US military flights in a 24-hour period to date, far surpassing the administration’s target of 5,000 to 9,000 daily evacuations on those flights.

The US evacuated 10,400 people on US military flights in the previous 24-hour period.

US President Biden will speak about Afghanistan at 12 p.m. ET Tuesday from the White House.

According to the White House, Biden will talk about the US' "ongoing efforts in Afghanistan to evacuate American citizens, SIV applicants and their families, and other vulnerable Afghans, and his meeting with fellow G7 leaders on how our nations can come together in support of the Afghan people."

Biden on Tuesday morning is also expected to meet with his national security team to hear intelligence, security and diplomatic updates on the evolving situation in Afghanistan.

Following that meeting, the President will join a virtual gathering with top European allies, known as the Group of Seven, to discuss the situation in Afghanistan. Tuesday’s G7 call is set for 9:30 a.m. ET.

Leaders from the top foreign allies of the United States are planning to press President Joe Biden to extend the deadline for US troops to withdraw from Afghanistan during a Tuesday morning meeting, officials familiar with the matter said.

The virtual gathering of the Group of Seven will be the first international forum for Biden to speak collectively with top European allies about the crisis in Afghanistan, which has caused anger and anxiety in foreign capitals over its chaotic execution.

Ahead of the talks, American and western officials were discussing the expected pressure from other leaders on Biden to maintain troops in Kabul past the Aug. 31 deadline.

Biden has not publicly committed to such a move, worrying some allies who fear there won't be enough time to get their citizens and Afghan allies who assisted in the war effort out of the country.

But the administration must decide on Tuesday whether it will try to extend the evacuation mission in Afghanistan beyond Aug. 31 according to a defense official directly familiar with the discussions.

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