Deadlines on Afghanistan and Covid-19, in 4 Charts
In Afghanistan, thousands are trying to escape Taliban rule. Across the world, poor countries are waiting for vaccines.
Dueling crises.
Photographer: Susan Walsh/APThe evacuation operation in Afghanistan took on new urgency after Thursday’s blast killed 13 U.S. service members and at least 75 Afghan citizens. As the deadline nears, there seems to be little chance of an extending the deployment of U.S. forces. "We are currently on a pace to finish by August 31. I am determined to complete our mission," President Biden said last week.
So far, more than 100,000 people have been evacuated by U.S. military and coalition planes. The White House seems confident that it will extract "every American who wants to leave" by the deadline, estimating that about 1,000 American citizens remain in a country now controlled by the Taliban. Yet, as Michael R. Bloomberg writes, there is another group of individuals that cannot escape by then: the thousands of Afghans who put themselves at risk by supporting the U.S. war effort: “The administration should make clear that it intends to fly out not just holders of U.S. passports and green cards, but also Afghans and their families who’ve applied for Special Immigrant Visas,” he wrote.