The U.S. military has secured the international airport in Kabul and flights evacuating civilians and diplomats in Afghanistan have resumed, officials said Tuesday.
Why it matters: Operations were suspended on Monday after thousands of Afghan civilians stormed the airport's runway in a desperate attempt to flee the Taliban. Seven people were killed during the chaos, including several who attempted to climb onto departing U.S. military planes.
State of play: Approximately 3,500 troops are on the ground at Kabul's airport as of Tuesday morning, with 4,000 expected to be there by the end of the day, according to officials.
- More than 700 people have been evacuated so far on seven flights, including 150 American citizens. The rest are a mix of special immigrant visa (SIV) applicants and foreign nationals.
- The Pentagon is aiming to have at least one flight per hour take off from Hamid Karzai International Airport when operations are fully running, with the expectation that 5,000 to 9,000 people can be evacuated per day.
- U.S. troops have experienced "no hostile interactions, no attack, no threat by the Taliban," Maj. Gen. Hank Taylor, a Pentagon logistics expert, said during a press briefing Tuesday.
What to watch: The evacuation effort will continue until Aug. 31, the deadline for President Biden's full military withdrawal from Afghanistan. Asked why the U.S. couldn't keep evacuating Afghans into September if the airport is still secure, the Pentagon said that is a decision for the president.
Go deeper ... Pentagon defends Kabul evacuation chaos: "No plan is perfect"