Pentagon press secretary John Kirby confirmed Friday that “thousands” of Islamic State prisoners were freed after the United States handed over bases to the Afghan government.
U.S. government and military officials are concerned about the possibility of a second terrorist attack in or around the Hamid Karzai International Airport, where troops are working to evacuate Americans and Afghan allies who would be in danger under the Taliban regime.
President Joe Biden has expressed firmness in standing by the August 31 deadline of withdrawing U.S troops from Afghanistan, causing Christian groups to call for the immediate evacuation of American citizens and their allies regardless if it's beyond the said deadline.
During a July 8 press conference, President Joe Biden estimated Taliban forces at approximately 75,000, and contrasted them to the 300,000 troops in the US-trained Afghan army. It now appears that those numbers were wildly off, by as much as double the estimate.
The U.S. military is continuing to draw down its forces from Afghanistan ahead of the August 31, 2021, deadline, according to defense officials on Tuesday.
"It's one thing for somebody say that and keep pounding that in the head of your five granddaughters as well, but to, guess what, until they see it until they watch, it becomes real then."
