The three publishers of The Washington Post, The Wall Street Journal and The New York Times on Monday urged the Biden Administration for help evacuating journalists from Afghanistan as the Taliban gains control of the capital.
According to NBC News, they sent an email to the US National Security advisor Jake Sullivan, asking to have their 204 journalists, staff and families evacuated by the military from the Kabul airport side to the military airport side, where they can safely wait for flights out.
Their email said journalists of these three outlets are “currently in danger” and need the US government to transport them to safety.
The plea comes as scenes on the ground show Afghans trying to force themselves onto a plane at the Kabul airport as chaos continues to spread. Another video captured a US military aircraft trying to take off as dozens of Afghans chased and tried to stop it from taking off. Some tried to cling on and get onboard even as the aircraft sped up.
The airport is being secured by the US military to evacuate embassy personnel, with the publishers’ request saying that the government needs to help bring the journalists to the side with the military.
President Joe Biden addressed the public on Monday afternoon from the White House, authorizing 6,000 troops to assist in the evacuation of the US and its allies. He said the government has made it clear to the Taliban that if they attack US personnel or disrupt the operations, the US will respond with force.
“This did unfold more quickly than we anticipated,” he said. “US military will provide assistance to … US non governmental organizations, Afghans that are otherwise at great risk and US news agencies.”
“I am the President of the United States and the buck stops with me,” Biden said about withdrawing the troops after the departure mission is complete.
Leave a Reply