The White House on Saturday said that President Joe Biden has been updated about the ongoing evacuation process in Afghanistan.
Biden met with his national security team at The White House to discuss the security situation and counterterrorism operations, including against the Islamic State group in Afghanistan, Associated Press reported.
The meeting was attended by Vice President Kamala Harris via video conference, Secretary of State Antony Blinken, Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin, Joint Chiefs of Staff Chairman Gen. Mark Milley, National Security Adviser Jake Sullivan and National Intelligence Director Avril Haines.
During the meeting, members also discussed the Islamic State presence in Afghanistan. As reported by Associated Press, fragments of the group are still active in Afghanistan, and the U.S. is concerned about it reconstituting more largely as the country comes under divisive Taliban rule.
On Saturday, during a telephonic conversation, Speaker Pelosi updated Biden about increasing progress made evacuating American citizens, allies and Afghans who aided the American military, and additional vulnerable Afghans.
On Thursday, White House national security adviser Jake Sullivan told NBC Nightly News that the US government is “laser focussed” on potential attacks by the Taliban’s sworn enemy, ISIS.
“One of the contingencies we are very focused on, laser-focused on, is the potential for a terrorist attack by a group like ISIS-K, which of course is a sworn enemy of the Taliban, so we will keep working to minimize the risks and maximize the number of people on planes,” Sullivan told NBC.
