'Don't trust the Taliban,' hundreds gather outside White House
Hundreds of protesters supporting Afghans gathered outside the White House over the weekend and marched through Washington, D.C., demanding that President Biden extend the Aug. 31 deadline to evacuate American citizens and Afghan allies who helped the U.S. military over the past 20 years.
Hundreds of protesters supporting Afghans gathered outside the White House over the weekend and marched through Washington, D.C., demanding that President Biden extend the Aug. 31 deadline to evacuate American citizens and Afghan allies who helped the U.S. military over the past 20 years.
The protesters chanted "push the deadline" throughout Saturday afternoon. Many expressed their frustration with Biden.
"You failed us. As an American, you failed us," said a Washington, D.C., man named Jimmy. "Twenty years for what? America has lost lives for what?"
Another protester told Fox News his message to Biden: "you have blood on your hands."
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Last week, the Biden administration announced it would stick to its agreement with the Taliban to withdraw U.S. troops from Kabul by Aug. 31. The military has already begun to pull equipment and draw down its evacuation efforts.
"Don't trust the Taliban!" one protester said over the weekend.
Another woman said: "you shouldn't be negotiating with terrorists."
Several protesters told Fox News they have family members, some of whom are U.S. citizens, still stranded in Afghanistan.
"I have family that are U.S. citizens and they have been stuck there," one woman told Fox News. "There's possibly no way for them to get out because officials aren't giving them exact directions of where to go and even if they do go there, the Taliban or other checkpoints won't let them through."
Another protester said her family has faced similar struggles.
"They got really close to evacuating," she told Fox News. "We actually had someone from the inside help but they were not able to get through past the gate."
The Taliban announced over the weekend it was in talks to form a cabinet. Many protesters told Fox News their relatives in Afghanistan are living in terror now that the Taliban is back in power.
"They're afraid for their life," one man told Fox News. "They cannot go out, banks are not open to them, they cannot go to work. Women are rejected to go back to work."
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One man who traveled to Washington from Oklahoma said his aunt, who still resides in Afghanistan, suffers from PTSD as a result of previously living under Taliban rule. She is now bedridden over the Taliban's returned to power, he told Fox News.
"My aunt's story broke my heart," he said. He explained that his aunt normally walks with a disability, but ran for 10 minutes when she saw a Taliban member.
"She cannot overcome those fears," he told Fox News.
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