1 of 5 | Afghans gather outside the Hamid Karzai International Airport to flee the country, in Kabul, Afghanistan, on Tuesday. Photo by Bashir Darwish/UPI |
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Aug. 24 (UPI) -- Two House lawmakers made a surprise whirlwind trip to Afghanistan on Tuesday as the Biden administration airlifts thousands of Americans, Afghans and others from the Middle Eastern country.
Reps. Seth Moulton, D-Mass., and Peter Meijer, R-Mich, both veterans who fought in Iraq, flew to and then from Hamid Karzai International Airport, which has become the focal point of the U.S. exudes from the country as the Biden administration aims to have all U.S. personnel and allies out by the end of this month.
Moulton in a statement late Tuesday said they went to Kabul to conduct oversight of the evacuation.
It is unclear how the two congressmen entered the country, but Moulton explained that they left on a plane in seats designated for crew so as to not take a spot from someone fleeing the country.
"We did this visit in secret to reduce risks and impact on the mission," he said.
UPI has contacted his office for further comment on the trip.
The visit was made public after President Joe Biden on Tuesday said he has no plan to extend the Aug. 31 deadline for all U.S. military personnel to be out of the country and for the airlift mission to cease, though he did say there are contingency plans for further evacuations after that date if the Taliban allow it.
The airport has been thrown into chaos as thousands attempt to flee the country after the fall of Kabul to the Taliban a week ago. Taliban fighters took the capital city after capturing provinces on their march toward Kabul as the United States began its withdrawal from the country.
Biden said they are "determined to complete this mission" and have helped evacuate 70,700 people since Aug. 14 and nearly 76,000 people since the end of July.
Moulton said he and Meijer went to Afghanistan to compel Biden to extend the deadline.
"After talking with commanders on the ground and seeing the situation here, it is obvious that because we started the evacuation so late, that no matter what we do, we won't get everyone out on time, even by Sept. 11," he said. "Frustratingly, getting our people out depends on maintaining the current, bizarre relationship with the Taliban."
Tuesday afternoon, Speaker of the House Nancy Pelosi issued a letter to House lawmakers to urge them against traveling to Afghanistan, saying it would "unnecessarily divert needed resources from the priority mission of safely and expeditiously evacuating" Americans and Afghans at risk from Afghanistan.
"I write to reiterate that the Departments of Defense and State have requested that Members not travel to Afghanistan and the region during this time of danger," she said. "Ensuring the safe and timely evacuation of individuals at risk requires the full focus and attention of the U.S. military and diplomatic teams on the ground in Afghanistan."
