Tuesday, 24 August 2021 (YJC)_ Pentagon spokesman John Kirby said The US military will destroy weapons and other military equipment if needed.
The US military will destroy weapons and other military equipment if needed during the US withdrawal of troops and military equipment from Hamid Karzai International Airport in Kabul, Pentagon spokesman John Kirby said.
“Obviously there’s a strong bias to be able to get our material out with our people, if there needs to be destruction or other disposition of equipment there at Hamid Karzai International Airport, then we’ll do that, and we’ll do it appropriately,” Kirby said.
The Pentagon announced that there are "a little bit above 5,000" people in the airport in Kabul waiting to get on flights.
This is a significant improvement of the speed of processing and evacuation flights.
According to Army Maj. Gen. William "Hank" Taylor, Joint Staff deputy director for regional operations, they are “going through the processing, continuing to be manifested and ready to fly.”
Taylor said that gates at the airport are still open as well.
Pentagon press secretary John Kirby said that there are about five to 600 Afghan security forces that are helping with the evacuation and will themselves be evacuated by US forces if they want to leave.
The Pentagon acknowledged “what had been some terrible conditions” at the Al Udeid Air Base in Qatar where the US military has temporarily stationed thousands of evacuees from Afghanistan in the process of relocating people evacuating the country, Pentagon spokesman John Kirby said during a briefing on Tuesday.
“We are aware of and as concerned as anybody about what had been some terrible sanitation conditions at Qatar that were facilitated by the sheer numbers and the speed with which those numbers got there,” Kirby said. “We all recognize that, and nobody, nobody here wants anyone to be less than safe, secure comfortable and well cared for as they go through this process.”
There have been reports of unsanitary conditions at the Al Udeid Air Base.
Kirby said the conditions are “improving now,” but “they’re not” perfect. Kirby said the US military continues to try and identify other temporary locations where evacuees can be sent to “ease the pressure” at the Qatari base.
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