Jen Psaki told reporters to send her contact information for any Americans stuck in Afghanistan
Eliza Relman
White House Press Secretary Jen Psaki speaks during the daily briefing in the Brady Briefing Room of the White House in Washington, DC on July 2, 2021.
MANDEL NGAN/AFP via Getty Images
Psaki told reporters they should pass contact information for Americans still in Afghanistan to her.
Psaki insisted the administration is "committed to bringing Americans home who want to leave" and called it a 24/7 effort.
"Anyone who has an American citizen who they are looking to help get out ... send them to me directly," she told reporters.
White House press secretary Jen Psaki told reporters on Tuesday that if they're hearing from any Americans stuck in Afghanistan, they should pass the individuals' contact information directly to her.
Psaki said the administration remains "committed to bringing Americans home who want to leave" Afghanistan, but added the government doesn't know exactly how many US citizens remain in the now-Taliban controlled country. Jake Sullivan, Biden's national security adviser, said on Sunday that "roughly a few thousand" Americans were still trying to get out of Afghanistan.
"Anyone who has an American citizen who they are looking to help get out, any of you — send them to me directly and I will get it to the right place," Psaki told reporters at Tuesday's press briefing. "We are absolutely committed to this. This is an across-the-government commitment."
Psaki said that the State Department has been advising Americans to leave Afghanistan "for months" because of the US military's impending withdrawal from the country. President Joe Biden has refused to extend the US's August 31 deadline for full withdrawal, despite mounting pressure from members of his own party.
Psaki said the government might not have contact information for Americans who didn't register with the State Department when they entered Afghanistan.
"We are reaching out via phone, via text, via email, any way we can. And we are giving them instructions on how to get to the airport, when to come to the airport," she said. "We have an entire apparatus and operation set up on the ground, we're advertising, and this is a 24/7 operation of reaching out to these individuals."
The press secretary called the count of Americans a "dynamic number," in part because US citizens aren't required to register or "de-register" with the State Department when they enter or exit any country, including Afghanistan.
Rep. Adam Schiff, a California Democrat, said on Tuesday that it's "very unlikely" the US can complete evacuations of Americans and Afghan allies by the end of the month.
"That deadline has to be extended to get the job done," said Rep. Jason Crow, a Colorado Democrat and veteran of the war in Afghanistan. "There shouldn't be a date on the calendar that dictates when the mission ends. The mission should end when our people are out."
—Acyn (@Acyn) August 24, 2021
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