- Psaki told reporters they should pass contact information for
Americans still inAfghanistan 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.
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
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
"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