US Defense Secretary: We have completed largest air evacuation of civilians in our history

WASHINGTON, Sept. 02 (YPA) – US Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin said on Wednesday that his country has completed the largest air evacuation of civilians in American history, thanking his military for their courage.

“We were able to evacuate 6,000 Americans from Kabul and more than 124,000 civilians along with our allies, and we did it all amid the spread of a pandemic and in the face of serious and growing threats,” Reuters news agency quoted Austin as saying in a press conference from the headquarters of the Ministry of Defense.

Austin considered that the evacuation was a tremendous achievement not only for the US military but also for the armies of America’s allies and partners.

“We are entering a new chapter during which diplomacy will lead the evacuation efforts from Afghanistan, and we will continue to confront terrorism wherever it is and we will work to stabilize the region,” he added.

The US Defense Secretary announced that he would visit the Gulf next week to thank his country’s partners for their support and assistance in rescuing and sheltering Afghan civilians.

YPA