US troops surge evacuations out of Kabul but threats persist

By ROBERT BURNS and ELLEN KNICKMEYER
Associated Press

WASHINGTON (AP) — U.S military troops flying round the clock have managed their biggest day of airlifts out of Afghanistan by far. But deadly violence that has blocked many desperate Afghans and foreigners from entering Kabul’s airport persisted Monday. And the Taliban signaled they may insist on the airlifts ending at the end of the month. The White House says 28 U.S. military flights carried about 10,400 people to safety over the 24 hours that ended early Monday morning. And 15 C-17 flights over the next 12 hours brought out another 6,660. For the first time the numbers have met — and exceeded — U.S. projections.