‘We will get you home,’ Biden tells Americans in Afghanistan – live
- President acknowledges evacuations were paused for a few hours
- Austin says Americans have been beaten by Taliban in Kabul
- Pressure on Biden to speed up visas for Afghans who helped US
- How many refugees are being evacuated and where will they go?
11.25pm BST
The US secretary of state says 13 countries have agreed to at least temporarily host at-risk Afghans evacuated from Afghanistan, while a dozen others will act as transit points for those fleeing.
More from the Associated Press:
Secretary of State Antony Blinken says 13 countries have thus far agreed to at least temporarily host at-risk Afghans evacuated from Afghanistan and a dozen more have agreed to serve as transit points for evacuees, including Americans and others.
Blinken says in a Friday statement that potential Afghan refugees not already cleared for resettlement in the United States will be housed at facilities in Albania, Canada, Colombia, Costa Rica, Chile, Kosovo, North Macedonia, Mexico, Poland, Qatar, Rwanda, Ukraine and Uganda.
11.01pm BST
Joe Biden said the US is considering “every means” to evacuate US citizens from Afghanistan, but acknowledged it was a dangerous mission.
My colleague David Smith has more on the president’s remarks:
Joe Biden, under mounting pressure to evacuate American citizens from Afghanistan, has said the US is considering “every means” to get people to Kabul airport, promising: “We will get you home.”
The embattled president again defended his decision to end the 20-year intervention by withdrawing US forces, which resulted in the Afghan government’s total capitulation to the Taliban, and denied that it hurt Washington’s standing with allies.
Related: Biden vows to use ‘every means’ to get Americans home from Afghanistan
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