Eighteen days ago, the United States and our allies began our evacuation and
relocation operation in Kabul. As you just
heard from the Pentagon, a few hours
ago, that operation was completed.
More than 123,000 people have been safely flown out of Afghanistan. That
includes about 6,000 American citizens. This has been a massive military,
diplomatic, and humanitarian undertaking -- one of the most difficult in our
nation’s history -- and an extraordinary feat of logistics and coordination under
some of the most challenging circumstances imaginable.
Many, many people made this possible.
I want to commend our outstanding diplomats who worked around the clock, and
around the world, to coordinate the operation. They volunteered for duty at the
Kabul airport. They flew to transit countries to help process thousands of
Afghans bound for the United States. They deployed to ports of entry and
American military bases to welcome Afghans to their new homes. They staffed a
24/7 task force here in Washington, overseen by Deputy Secretary Brian McKeon.
And they built a list of Americans possibly seeking to leave Afghanistan, then
worked to contact every single one of them, repeatedly -- making 55,000 phone
calls, sending 33,000 e-mails since August 14th. They solved problem after
problem to keep the mission moving forward.
They did this because -- for the thousands of State Department and USAID
employees who have served in Afghanistan in the past 20 years -- this evacuation
operation was very personal. Many worked hand in hand for years with Afghan
partners, many of whom became trusted friends. We also lost cherished members of
our Foreign Service community in Afghanistan; we’ll never forget them. Helping
Americans, our foreign partners who have been by our side for 20 years, and
Afghans at risk at this critical moment, was more than just a high-stakes
assignment for our team. It was a sacred duty. And the world saw how our
diplomats rose to the challenge with determination and heart.
U.S. service members in Kabul did heroic work securing the airport, protecting
civilians of many nationalities -- including tens of thousands of Afghans -- and
airlifting them out. They’re also providing vital support right now, caring for
Afghans on military bases in Europe, the Middle East, and here in the United
States.
We’ve seen pictures of U.S. service members at the Kabul airport cradling
babies, comforting families. That’s the kind of compassionate courage our men
and women in uniform exemplify. They carried out this mission under the constant
threat of terrorist violence -- and four days ago, 11 Marines, one Navy medic,
and one soldier were killed by a suicide bomber at the airport gate, as well as
scores of Afghans.
Nearly all of them were in their early 20s -- just babies or toddlers on
September 11th, 2001.
These deaths are a devastating loss for our country. We at the State Department
feel them deeply. We have a special bond with the Marines. The first person that
you see when you visit an American embassy is a Marine. They guard our
diplomatic missions; they keep us safe around the world. We couldn’t do our jobs
without them. And we will never forget their sacrifice -- nor will we forget what
they achieved. The most exceptional among us perform a lifetime’s work of
service in a short time here on Earth. So. it was for our exceptional brothers
and sisters who died last week.
Finally, I want to thank our allies and partners. This operation was a global
endeavor in every way. Many countries stepped up with robust contributions to
the airlift, including working by our side at the airport. Some are now serving
as transit countries, allowing evacuees to be registered and processed on the
way to their final destinations. Others have agreed to resettle Afghan refugees
permanently, and we hope more will do so in the days and weeks ahead. We are
truly grateful for their support.
Now, U.S. military flights have ended, and our troops have departed Afghanistan.
A new chapter of America’s engagement with Afghanistan has begun. It’s one in
which we will lead with our diplomacy. The military mission is over. A new
diplomatic mission has begun.
So here is our plan for the days and weeks ahead.
First, we’ve built a new team to help lead this new mission.
As of today, we have suspended our diplomatic presence in Kabul, and transferred
our operations to Doha, Qatar, which will soon be formally notified to Congress.
Given the uncertain security environment and political situation in Afghanistan,
it was the prudent step to take. And let me take this opportunity to thank our
outstanding charge d’affaires in Kabul, Ambassador Ross Wilson, who came out of
retirement in January 2020 to lead our embassy in Afghanistan, and has done
exceptional, courageous work during a highly challenging time.
For the time being, we will use this post in Doha to manage our diplomacy with
Afghanistan, including consular affairs, administering humanitarian assistance,
and working with allies, partners, and regional and international stakeholders
to coordinate our engagement and messaging to the Taliban. Our team there will
be led by Ian McCary, who has served as our deputy chief of mission in
Afghanistan for this past year. No one’s better prepared to do the job.
Second, we will continue our relentless efforts to help Americans, foreign
nationals, and Afghans leave Afghanistan if they choose.
Let me talk briefly about the Americans who remain in Afghanistan.
We made extraordinary efforts to give Americans every opportunity to depart the
country -- in many cases talking, and sometimes walking them into the airport.
Of those who self-identified as Americans in Afghanistan, who were considering
leaving the country, we’ve thus far received confirmation that about 6,000 have
been evacuated or otherwise departed. This number will likely continue to grow
as our outreach and arrivals continue.
We believe there are still a small number of Americans -- under 200 and likely
closer to 100 -- who remain in Afghanistan and want to leave. We’re trying to
determine exactly how many. We’re going through manifests and calling and texting through our lists, and we’ll have more details to share, as soon as
possible. Part of the challenge with fixing a precise number is that there are
long-time residents of Afghanistan who have American passports, and who were
trying to determine whether or not they wanted to leave. Many are dual-citizen
Americans with deep roots and extended families in Afghanistan, who have resided
there for many years. For many, it’s a painful choice.
Our commitment to them and to all Americans in Afghanistan -- and everywhere in
the world -- continues. The protection and welfare of Americans abroad remains
the State Department’s most vital and enduring mission. If an American in
Afghanistan tells us that they want to stay for now, and then in a week or a
month or a year they reach out and say, “I’ve changed my mind,” we will help
them leave.
Additionally, we’ve worked intensely to evacuate and relocate Afghans who worked
alongside us, and are at particular risk of reprisal. We’ve gotten many out, but
many are still there. We will keep working to help them. Our commitment to them
has no deadline.
Third, we will hold the Taliban to its pledge to let people freely depart
Afghanistan.
The Taliban has committed to let anyone with proper documents leave the country
in a safe and orderly manner. They’ve said this privately and publicly many
times. On Friday, a senior Taliban official said it again on television and
radio, and I quote: “Any Afghans may leave the country, including those who work
for Americans, if they want and for whatever reason there may be,” end quote.
More than half the world’s countries have joined us in insisting that the
Taliban let people travel outside Afghanistan freely. As of today, more than 100
countries have said that they expect the Taliban to honor travel authorizations
by our countries. And just a few hours ago, the United Nations Security Council
passed a resolution that enshrines that responsibility -- laying the groundwork
to hold the Taliban accountable if they renege.
So, the international chorus on this is strong, and it will stay strong. We will
hold the Taliban to their commitment on freedom of movement for foreign
nationals, visa holders, at-risk Afghans.
Fourth, we will work to secure their safe passage.
This morning, I met with the foreign ministers of all the G7 countries -- United
Kingdom, France, Germany, Canada, Italy, Japan -- as well as Qatar, Turkey, the
European Union, and the secretary general of NATO. We discussed how we will work
together to facilitate safe travel out of Afghanistan, including by reopening
Kabul’s civilian airport as soon as possible -- and we very much appreciate the
efforts of Qatar and Turkey, in particular, to make this happen.
This would enable a small number of daily charter flights, which is a key for
anyone who wants to depart from Afghanistan moving forward.
We are also working to identify ways to support Americans, legal permanent
residents, and Afghans who have worked with us and who may choose to depart via
overland routes.
We have no illusion that any of this will be easy or rapid. This will be an
entirely different phase from the evacuation that just concluded. It will take
time to work through a new set of challenges. But we will stay at it.
John Bass -- our former ambassador to Afghanistan who returned to Kabul two weeks
ago to help lead our evacuation efforts at the airport -- will spearhead our
ongoing work across the State Department to help American citizens and permanent
residents, citizens of allied nations, Special Immigrant Visa applicants, and
Afghans at high risk, if any of those people wish to depart Afghanistan. We’re
deeply grateful for all that John did in Kabul, and for his continued commitment
to this mission, as well as the extraordinary consular officers who were serving
by his side.
Fifth, we will stay focused on counterterrorism.
The Taliban has made a commitment to prevent terrorist groups from using
Afghanistan as a base for external operations that could threaten the United
States or our allies, including al-Qaida and the Taliban’s sworn enemy, ISIS-K.
Here too, we will hold them accountable to that commitment. But while we have
expectations of the Taliban, that doesn’t mean we will rely on the Taliban.
We’ll remain vigilant in monitoring threats ourselves. And we’ll maintain robust
counterterrorism capabilities in the region to neutralize those threats, if
necessary, as we demonstrated in the past few days by striking ISIS facilitators
and imminent threats in Afghanistan -- and as we do in places around the world
where we do not have military forces on the ground.
Let me speak directly to our engagement with the Taliban across these and other
issues. We engaged with the Taliban during the past few weeks to enable our
evacuation operations. Going forward, any engagement with a Taliban-led
government in Kabul will be driven by one thing only: our vital national
interests.
If we can work with a new Afghan government in a way that helps secure those
interests -- including the safe return of Mark Frerichs, a U.S. citizen who has
been held hostage in the region since early last year -- and in a way that brings
greater stability to the country and region and protects the gains of the past
two decades, we will do it. But we will not do it on the basis of trust or
faith. Every step we take will be based not on what a Taliban-led government
says, but what it does to live up to its commitments.
The Taliban seeks international legitimacy and support. Our message is: any
legitimacy and any support will have to be earned.
The Taliban can do that by meeting commitments and obligations -- on freedom of
travel; respecting the basic rights of the Afghan people, including women and
minorities; upholding its commitments on counterterrorism; not carrying out
reprisal violence against those who choose to stay in Afghanistan; and forming
an inclusive government that can meet the needs and reflect the aspirations of
the Afghan people.
Sixth, we will continue our humanitarian assistance to the people of
Afghanistan.
The conflict has taken a terrible toll on the Afghan people. Millions are
internally displaced. Millions are facing hunger, even starvation. The COVID-19
pandemic has also hit Afghanistan hard. The United States will continue to
support humanitarian aid to the Afghan people. Consistent with our sanctions on
the Taliban, the aid will not flow through the government, but rather through
independent organizations, such as UN agencies and NGOs. And we expect that
those efforts will not be impeded by the Taliban or anyone else.
And seventh, we will continue our broad international diplomacy across all these
issues and many others.
We believe we can accomplish far more -- and exert far greater leverage -- when we
work in coordination with our allies and partners. Over the last two weeks,
we’ve had a series of intensive diplomatic engagements with allies and partners
to plan and coordinate the way ahead in Afghanistan. I’ve met with the foreign
ministers of NATO and the G7. I’ve spoken one-on-one with dozens of my
counterparts. Last week, President Biden met with the leaders of the G7
countries. And Deputy Secretary of State Wendy Sherman has been convening a
group of 28 allies and partners from all regions of the world every other day.
Going forward, we’ll coordinate closely with countries in the region and around
the world -- as well as with leading international organizations, NGOs, and the
private sector. Our allies and partners share our objectives and are committed
to working with us.
I’ll have more to say on these matters in the coming days. The main point I want
to drive home here today is that America’s work in Afghanistan continues. We
have a plan for what’s next. We’re putting it into action.
This moment also demands reflection. The war in Afghanistan was a 20-year
endeavor. We must learn its lessons, and allow those lessons to shape how we
think about fundamental questions of national security and foreign policy. We
owe that to future diplomats, policymakers, military leaders, service members.
We owe that to the American people.
But as we do, we will remain relentlessly focused on today and on the future.
We’ll make sure we’re finding every opportunity to make good on our commitment
to the Afghan people, including by welcoming thousands of them into our
communities, as the American people have done many times before with generosity
and grace throughout our history.
In this way, we’ll honor all those brave men and women, from the United States
and many other countries, who risked or sacrificed their lives as part of this
long mission, right up to today.
