Warning to Europe as Afghanistan pullout deadline looms

President Joe Biden has told G7 leaders the US was ‘on pace’ to complete its pullout from Afghanistan by next Tuesday but contingency plans were being drawn up.

US President Joe Biden. Picture: AFP

President Joe Biden has told G7 leaders the US was “on pace” to complete its pullout from Afghanistan by next Tuesday but contingency plans were being drawn up in case the self-­imposed deadline could not be met.

The White House said Mr Biden also told G7 leaders in a conference call that completing the US troop withdrawal from Afghanistan next week depended on “continued co-ordination” with the Taliban and access for evacuees to Kabul airport.

European nations have said they would not be able to airlift all ­at-risk Afghans before Tuesday’s cut-off, and Mr Biden has faced calls from all corners to extend the evacuation window.

Germany said Western allies simply could not fly out every ­Afghan who needed protection before the deadline. “Even if [the evacuation] goes on until August 31 or even a few days longer, it will not be enough,” Foreign Minister Heiko Maas said.

Earlier, Spain said it would not be able to rescue all Afghans who served Spanish missions, and France said it would have to end evacuations on Thursday.

“We will evacuate as many people as possible but there are those who will stay behind for reasons that don’t depend on us but on the situation there,” Spanish Defence Minister Margarita Robles said.

EU leaders at the G7 meeting urged Mr Biden to continue to ­secure Kabul airport until operations to evacuate vulnerable ­Afghans were complete.

Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau said separately that Canada was ready to stay beyond the deadline if the Taliban gave people safe passage to the airport.

AFP