Biden says Afghan evacuation on track; humanitarian crisis looms

A U.S. Marine with the Special Purpose Marine Air-Ground Task Force-Crisis Response-Central Command escorts a child to his family during an evacuation at Hamid Karzai International Airport in Kabul, Afghanistan, August 24, 2021. [Reuters]

U.S. President Joe Biden said U.S. troops in Afghanistan faced mounting danger as they pushed to complete evacuations by an Aug. 31 deadline, with aid agencies warning of a looming humanitarian crisis for the population left behind. The United States and its allies have evacuated more than 70,000 people, including their citizens, NATO personnel and Afghans at risk, since Aug. 14, the day before the Taliban swept into the capital, Kabul.