Biden will decide on extending withdrawal from Afghanistan by Tuesday: Report

The current deadline for withdrawal from Afghanistan is Aug. 31, but thousands still need to be evacuated.

Published: August 23, 2021 9:36pm

Updated: August 23, 2021 9:52pm

President Joe Biden will determine by Tuesday whether to extend the Aug. 31 deadline for the U.S. withdrawal from Afghanistan, according to a report.

Reuters reported that an administration official said Biden will make the decision regarding the extension in the next day, which would give more time for the Pentagon to evacuate American citizens and Afghan allies.

Since Aug. 14, about 48,000 people have been evacuated, which includes 10,900 from the first half of the day on Monday, The Hill reported. Thousands of Americans, citizens of allied countries and Afghan allies, in addition to the 6,000 U.S. troops deployed to aid the evacuation, are all supposed to be out of Afghanistan by Aug. 31.

On Sunday, Biden said there were discussions regarding a possible extension. The Taliban has threatened a reaction to an extension of U.S. presence in Afghanistan beyond the Aug. 31 deadline.