Taliban Insists on Aug. 31 Deadline for U.S. Troop Withdrawal amid Evacuation at the End of the War

Haroon Sabawoon/Anadolu Agency via Getty Thousands of Afghans rush to the Hamid Karzai International Airport as they try to flee the capital of Kabul on Aug. 16.

A Taliban spokesman said on Monday that American troops must be out of Afghanistan by Aug. 31 "or there would be consequences."

Suhail Shaheen told Sky News that the Taliban — who took over the country as the U.S. withdrew and the government collapsed — will not tolerate any delay in America leaving.

"You can say it's a red line," Shaheen said in an interview with the British television channel. "If the U.S. or U.K. were to seek additional time to continue evacuations, the answer is no. Or there would be consequences."

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The Taliban is pushing for the U.S. to be out of Afghanistan by Aug. 31, a date President Joe Biden had set for completing the pullout of forces, ending America's longest war, as the military's mission now narrows to ongoing evacuation efforts.

The scenes of chaos and delay around the airport in the country's capital of Kabul, and the vow to not leave behind Americans or Afghan allies, prompted the White House to reconsider their timeline.

Jake Sullivan, Biden's national security adviser, said on Monday that the administration continues to talk with the Taliban about the evacuation. He said Biden will make the decision about whether to continue the effort past Aug. 31.

"We are in talks with the Taliban on a daily basis through both political and security channels," Sullivan said.

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Shaheen has spoken to several international media outlets in the past two weeks as news reports and videos detailed a dire situation for many in Afghanistan as thousands try to flee.

The militant group swept through the county this month, taking over cities from local officials as American troops began to move out.

Last weekend Kabul fell and the president, Ashraf Ghani, fled.

Since Aug. 14, the U.S. has evacuated or helped to evacuate more than 40,000 people from Afghanistan, including thousands more by the hour, despite initial problems that sparked widespread criticism.

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Efforts have been hampered in part by Taliban checkpoints outside the airport, where some people are reported to be stopped and threatened or beaten if they try to leave.

U.K. Prime Minister Boris Johnson wants the U.S. to extend the Aug. 31 deadline to enable allies to evacuate more people. The issue is expected to be discussed at an emergency summit of the Group of Seven on Tuesday.

"Even by a day or two," U.K. Defense Secretary Ben Wallace has said. "That will give us a day or two more to evacuate people."