WASHINGTON — Following the United States' withdrawal from Afghanistan, and the Taliban's swift takeover, Pentagon officials say up to 4,000 U.S. troops will be in Kabul by the end of the day Tuesday to coordinate evacuation efforts.
The U.S. military hopes to pick up the speed of Kabul evacuations to one aircraft leaving per hour and 5,000 to 9,000 people departing every day.
"Air operations continued throughout the night," said Major General Hank Taylor, vice director for logistics of the Joint Staff. "I'm tremendously proud of the Herculean effort we've seen by our U.S. military so far."
White House press secretary Jen Psaki on Tuesday echoed President Joseph R. Biden's statement from the day before when he said he stands "squarely" behind his decision to pull troops out of the war-torn country, but acknowledged that the situation deteriorated faster than his administration expected.
Psaki said: "The President stands by his decision because he knows it is in the interests of the United States, our national security, and the American people."
Psaki added: 'When you're in government, you're faced with difficult choices."
Meanwhile, Republican lawmakers continued to blast the Biden Administration's handling of the Afghanistan withdrawal.
House Armed Services Committee Ranking Member Rep. Mike Rogers (R-Alabama), in a statement, said: " Make no mistake, the Biden-Harris administration will be held accountable for this catastrophic failure."
Sen. Ben Sasse (R-Nebraska ) went further.
He said: "This is worse than Saigon. What's happening at Karzai International Airport today is a more shameful, lower moment in U.S. history than 1975 and Saigon."
But, Sen. Tim Kaine (D-Virginia) said he believes it is time to bring the troops home, adding that he wants to ensure that Afghanistan "does not again become a safe haven for al-Qaida."
The self-described "progressive" nonprofit political action committee VoteVets.org said Tuesday that President Biden was right to move ahead with the withdrawal from Afghanistan.
"This President made the high integrity, hard, lonely decision to finally end this war," said Rep Jake Auchincloss (D) Massachusetts.
Retired Major General Paul Eaton also spoke.
He said: "President Biden has demonstrated the guts to do that. He sees that this war without end we've had for the last 20 years has just got to. It's just got to stop."
The Department of Veterans Affairs is also weighing in.
In a news release, VA Secretary Denis McDonough wrote: "It's entirely natural to feel a range of emotions about the latest developments in Afghanistan."
He went on to tell veterans: "If you are feeling depressed, angry, heartbroken, or anything else, we at VA are here for you."