Democratic Rep. Adam Schiff, chairman of the House Permanent Select Committee on Intelligence, said Monday that he believes it’s "very unlikely" the United States will get every American out of Afghanistan by the Aug. 31 deadline.
“I think it’s very unlikely given the number of Americans who still need to be evacuated, the number of SIVs, the number of others who are members of the Afghan press, civil society leaders, women leaders, it’s hard for me to imagine all of that can be accomplished between now and the end of the month,” Schiff told reporters on Monday after a meeting with intelligence officials. “Given the logistical difficulties of moving people to the airport, and the limited number of work arounds, it’s hard for me to see that being fully complete by the end of the month. And I’m certainly of the view that we maintain a military presence as long as it’s necessary to get all U.S. persons out, and to meet our moral and ethical obligation to our Afghan partners.”
The Taliban has threatened “consequences” if the U.S. stays past the deadline, however. Thus far, Biden administration officials appear to be asking permission from the Taliban to carry out their operations, so it’s unclear how the commander in chief will respond. He is expected to make a decision about going past the deadline on Tuesday.
When asked about the terror threat to the Hamid Karzai International Airport in Kabul, Schiff expressed his concern about an attack.
“I think the threat to the airport is very real and very substantial,” he said, calling it an “attractive target” for ISIS-K, al Qaeda, or the Taliban.
"So it’s a very real risk, I think, to our aircraft, to our personnel, to people who have congregated around the airport. Whenever you have a mass gathering like that, it is an opportunity for improvised and other explosive devices. So it’s a real danger,” he added.