Americans stuck in Afghanistan

The U.S. Embassy in Kabul issued a security alert on Saturday cautioning Americans seeking to evacuate Afghanistan about going to the airport in the country's capital, citing “potential security threats.”

[...]

“Because of potential security threats outside the gates at the Kabul airport, we are advising U.S. citizens to avoid traveling to the airport and to avoid airport gates at this time unless you receive individual instructions from a U.S. government representative to do so,” the alert stated.

  The Hill

It's going to be hard to leave if you can't travel to the airport.

The embassy alert Saturday followed another issued three days earlier that warned the U.S. “cannot ensure safe passage” to the airport in Kabul. “The security situation in Kabul continues to change quickly, including at the airport,” that alert read.

[...]

Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin told lawmakers on a call Friday afternoon that he was “aware” that Afghans and Americans who were trying to make their way to the airport in Kabul “have been harassed or even beaten by the Taliban.”

Austin's remarks contrasted with President Biden's comments earlier Friday at the White House, when he claimed “where we have seen challenges for Americans we have thus far been able to resolve them.”

"We have no indication that they haven't been able to get in Kabul through the airport," Biden asserted of Americans, despite reporting on the ground indicating chaos at Taliban checkpoints. "We've made an agreement with the Taliban. Thus far, they've allowed them to go through."

[...]

Biden said on Friday that the U.S. would do “everything that we can to provide safe evacuation for our Afghan allies, partners, and Afghans who might be targeted because of their association with the United States.”

It's looking like we can't do enough.

Embassy staff on Saturday urged Americans and their relatives who have not filled out their repatriation assistance requests to fill out the form as quickly as possible and told U.S. citizens not to contact the embassy about details regarding their flights.

I have to wonder why all of this wasn't being done since the moment Trump made the deal with the Taliban (leaving then presdient Ghani out of the deal-making altogether) to pull out troops.

...but hey, do what you want...you will anyway.