State Department spokesman Ned Price was pressed hard by reporters on Thursday after he was unable to answer just how many Americans are trying to escape Afghanistan after the Taliban took over most of the country last week.
The State Department has told Americans in the country to make their way to Hamid Karzai International Airport to be evacuated but said it could not guarantee their safety since the Taliban have established checkpoints to prevent people from reaching the airport.
"We have no numbers. I know that you've mentioned the six thousand, seven thousand; you can't break it down. You have said specifically that you have notified all Americans that are trying to get out of state. Is there any rough idea of a number, any characterization that you can give? Clearly, they have given you this information. Clearly, they are trying to get out. Is there any idea of how many Americans are still trying to get out of Afghanistan?" a reporter asked.
"We have been in contact with the Americans, who have requested to be repatriated. We're just not in a position to give a number right now. We're, more broadly, not a position to offer an aggregate figure...we're talking about American citizens, we're talking about third-country nationals, we're talking about Afghan nationals," Price replied.
"We're asking about American citizens. You know how many Americans have contacted you and asked to get out. Why can't you tell us?" another reporter asked.
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Price said the American government will do as much as it can for as long as it can to get American citizens out of Afghanistan, which could mean it could go past the total U.S. military withdrawal date of August 31.
