Taliban: No extensions for U.S. evacuations in Afghanistan

Biden faces decision on Afghanistan airlift, Taliban edict

KABUL, Afghanistan (AP) - A Taliban spokesman says the U.S. must complete its evacuation of people from Afghanistan by the Tuesday, August 31 date the Biden administration set for the withdrawal of all American troops.

Taliban spokesman Zabihullah Mujahid says his group will accept “no extensions” to the deadline.

He said Tuesday that life is returning to normal in the country but chaos at the airport remains a problem. Many Afghans are desperate to flee the Taliban takeover of the country.

The U.S. military has pulled off its biggest day of evacuation flights of Afghanistan since the operation began. But President Joe Biden faces a pressing decision on shutting down the airlifts, in compliance with a Taliban edict.

And amid the tense operation to get people out of the country, a U.S. official says CIA Director William Burns secretly flew to Kabul on Monday to meet with the Taliban's top political leader.

The White House says U.S. C-17s and C-130s flew out 12,700 people in 24 hours.