US President Joe Biden says the United States intends to complete its pullout from Afghanistan by 31 August and needs to withdraw rapidly because of a growing risk of terrorist attacks.
"The sooner we can finish, the better," Mr Biden said on Tuesday local time of the plan to evacuate Americans, Afghan nationals and US troops from Taliban-controlled Kabul.
"Each day of operations brings added risk to our troops."
The US president said he had discussed the evacuation with G7 leaders earlier Tuesday and they agreed to "continue our close cooperation to get people out as efficiently and safely as possible."
"We are currently on the pace to finish by August 31," said Mr Biden, who has been under pressure from some European leaders to extend the deadline to ensure the evacuation of everyone who is seeking to flee the country.
He said meeting the 31 August deadline was contingent "upon the Taliban continuing to cooperate and allow access to the airport for those who we're transporting out."
Italian coalition forces assist and escort evacuees for onward processing during an evacuation in Kabul, Afghanistan, Tuesday, Aug. 24, 2021. Source: US Marine Corps
"I've asked the Pentagon and the State Department for contingency plans to adjust the timetable should that become necessary," Mr Biden added.
The Taliban have been "taking steps to work with us" so far, Mr Biden said, but there is an "acute and growing risk of an attack by a terrorist group known as ISIS-K," or Islamic State-Khorasan.
"Every day we're on the ground is another day we know that ISIS-K is seeking to target the airport and attack both US and allied forces and innocent civilians," he said.
US-led troops have ramped up operations to get thousands of people out of Kabul by 31 August - the deadline set by the US before the fall of the capital for all foreign troops to have pulled out.
Mr Biden said the United States has evacuated 70,700 people since 14 August - the day before the Taliban took power in Kabul - including 6,400 in the past 12 hours.
US officials said more than 4,000 Americans were among those flown out of Hamid Karzai International Airport in the Afghan capital.
Several thousand other people have been evacuated by allied European nations, such as Australia, Germany and the United Kingdom.
'It will not be enough'
The Taliban urged skilled Afghans not to flee the country on Tuesday and warned the United States and its NATO allies they would not accept an extension to the evacuation deadline.
A spokesman for the hardline Islamist group told America to stop taking "Afghan experts," such as engineers and doctors, out of the country.
"This country needs their expertise. They should not be taken to other countries," Taliban spokesman Zabihullah Mujahid told a press conference in the capital.
European nations have said they would not be able to airlift all at-risk Afghans before the 31 August cut-off, and Mr Biden has faced calls from all corners to extend the evacuation window.
Mr Mujahid said the Islamist group opposes an extension.
"They have planes, they have the airport, they should get their citizens and contractors out of here," he said.
Germany said Tuesday Western allies simply cannot fly out every Afghan who needs protection before the cut-off date.
Zabihullah Mujahid, Taliban spokesman, talks with journalists during a press conference in Kabul, Afghanistan, 17 August 2021. Source: EPA
"Even if (the evacuation) goes on until August 31 or even a few days longer, it will not be enough," Foreign Minister Heiko Maas told Bild TV.
France said it would have to end evacuations from Kabul's airport on Thursday if the United States stuck to the deadline, and Spain said it would not be able to rescue all Afghans who served Spanish missions.
Spanish Defence Minister Margarita Robles said Taliban checkpoints and violence were making it difficult for people to reach Kabul airport to catch one of Spain's daily military flights out of Afghanistan.
EU leaders at the G7 meeting urged Mr Biden to continue to secure Kabul airport until operations to evacuate vulnerable Afghans are complete.
Many Afghans fear a repeat of the brutal interpretation of Islamic law that the Taliban implemented when first in power from 1996-2001, or retribution for working with the US-backed government over the past two decades.
On Tuesday, Mr Mujahid said female Afghan government workers should stay home until security conditions in the country improve.
