Taliban Warns Pres. Joe Biden of 'Consequences' If U.S. Extends Aug. 31 Afghanistan Withdrawal Deadline

The Taliban has warned President Joe Biden that there would be consequences if the evacuation and withdrawal of U.S. troops in Afghanistan would go beyond the August 31 deadline.

The Taliban met with Sky News in Doha to discuss the organization's next move regarding the withdrawal of U.S. troops in Afghanistan. During the interview, the Taliban issued a warning about the ongoing withdrawal of U.S. troops from the country.

Taliban spokesperson Dr. Suhail Shaheen called the August 31 withdrawal deadline "red line." Shaheen noted that Joe Biden has already set August 31 as the deadline to withdraw all the military forces.

Thus, the Taliban spokesperson said if they extend it, "that means they are extending occupation while there is no need for that."

Shaheen then warned that if the U.S. or United Kingdom were to seek additional time to continue evacuations, "the answer is no or there would be consequences."

"It will create mistrust between us. If they are intent on continuing the occupation, it will provoke a reaction," the Taliban spokesperson said.

U.S. Department of Defense on the Taliban Warning

After the interview, U.S. Department of Defense press secretary John Kirby said they had seen the public statements by the Taliban spokesman regarding their stand on the August 31 deadline, and they have clearly understood it.

Kirby said their goal was to get as many people out as fast as possible in Afghanistan. He added that they were happy after seeing the latest numbers they've got. Kirby also stressed that they were "not going to rest on any laurels."

"The focus is trying to do this as best we can by the end of the month and as the Secretary (of Defense) said, if there needs... to have additional conversations with the Commander in Chief about that timeline, he'll do that but we're just not at that point right now," Kirby noted.

Meanwhile, U.K. Prime Minister Boris Johnson is set to personally ask Joe Biden to extend a deadline for U.S. troops leaving Afghanistan. The pair spoke on the phone on Monday, with the White House saying that they have discussed the ongoing efforts of the U.S.' diplomatic and military personnel in evacuating their citizens, local staff, and other vulnerable citizens.

The White House further noted that both leaders discussed plans for the G7 virtual leaders' meeting on Tuesday, where they would underscore the importance of close coordination with allies in managing the current situation and forging a common approach to Afghanistan policy.

Joe Biden to Decide on the Afghanistan Evacuation Deadline Within 24 Hours

On Sunday, Joe Biden warned that the evacuation would be "hard and painful" and much could still go wrong. The president also said the troops might stay beyond the August 31 deadline to oversee the evacuation, Reuters reported.

On Monday, an administration official said Joe Biden would decide within 24 hours whether to extend the timeline to give the Pentagon enough time to prepare about their possible move.

Some advisers of Joe Biden were arguing against extending the deadline. Two officials had said the expectation was that the U.S. would continue evacuations past August 31.

Democratic Representative Adam Schiff, chairman of the House of Representatives Intelligence Committee, said Monday that he believes the evacuation could not be completed in the eight remaining days.

Schiff said he thinks "it's possible but I think it's very unlikely given the number of Americans who still need to be evacuated."

In defending his decision to pull out the troops in Afghanistan, Joe Biden noted that it was wrong to order U.S. troops to engage in further fighting when they were not willing to do so.

"I cannot and will not ask our troops to fight endlessly in another country's civil war," the president said.

Joe Biden added that there was never a good time to withdraw the U.S. forces.

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Written by: Jess Smith

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