Pentagon officials on Friday flatly contradicted President Joe Biden on some information he revealed about the situation in Afghanistan.

Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin and Pentagon spokesman John Kirby contradicted Joe Biden minutes after the president claimed that the U.S. successfully destroyed the extremist group Al Qaeda in Afghanistan and that the Taliban group is allowing Americans to reach Kabul airport.

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Pentagon Officials Contradict President Joe Biden's Claims

Joe Biden delivered the comments as he answered questions about the Afghanistan crisis for the first time in 10 days after giving a speech in the East Room of the White House.

In the press conference, the president was asked about sending troops out of their base at Hamid Karzai International Airport in Kabul to help Americans reach safety. Joe Biden answered that there's "no indication" that the Americans could not get to the airport in Kabul.

He said he believes all Americans who want to get into the airport and leave have been able to. The president noted that they had an agreement with the Taliban to allow the Americans to reach the airport safely.

Minutes after the president's briefing, Austin told House lawmakers that they had received reports that the Taliban fighters had beaten and harassed some Americans who were trying to leave Afghanistan.

Austin made his statement during a briefing call with House members and other top officials. According to unnamed sources who attended the briefing call, the defense secretary called the Taliban beatings "unacceptable" but did not elaborate on efforts to ensure the safe passage of Americans to the Kabul airport.

When asked about Austin's remarks, Kirby confirmed that they were aware of the Americans being attacked by the Taliban and that these reports were "deeply troubling."

"We have communicated to the Taliban that that's absolutely unacceptable... That we want free passage through their checkpoints for documented Americans. And by and large, that's happening," the Pentagon spokesman noted.

President Joe Biden on Al Qaeda in Afghanistan

In the press briefing, Joe Biden noted that Al Qaeda has also been wiped out in Afghanistan. But when Kirby was asked about Al Qaeda in Afghanistan, he acknowledged that an Al Qaeda presence remains in the South Asian country, including ISIS.

A recent United Nations report said that Al Qaeda is present in at least 15 Afghan provinces. According to terrorism experts, Al Qaeda still enjoys a close relationship with the Taliban. Reports about the Taliban giving "haven" to the group have surfaced this week.

Joe Biden also mentioned in the press briefing that at least 169 Americans "got over a wall into the airport [Kabul] using military assets," New York Post reported. 

But Reuters later reported that these evacuees were loaded onto three Chinook helicopters from the Baron Hotel near the airport but were unable to reach the airport gates.

Meanwhile, Austin said they will work hard to evacuate "as many people as possible."

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Written By: Joshua Summers

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