US senators receive intelligence briefing on Afghanistan
From CNN's Jenny Hansler and Jasmine Wright
Senators received their own intelligence briefing from Secretary of Defense Lloyd Austin, Secretary of State Antony Blinken and Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff Gen. Mark Milley Sunday on the unfolding collapse of Afghanistan, but a senate aide told CNN the meeting was not contentious and focused mostly on evacuations.
Senators were told there are as many as 60,000 people who could potentially qualify as Special Immigrant Visa (SIV) holders or applicants, P1 and P2 visa holders, or others like human rights defenders.
The Biden administration has surged capacity for evacuations but a key challenge will be whether people can get to Kabul, per this aide. Blinken said Qatar and a couple other countries are being helpful in housing people at least temporarily.
The officials were also asked about the potential for terrorist activity as well as engagement with Pakistan. They would not provide information on the terrorist threats in an unclassified setting, but the aide said it didn’t sound like Pakistan was being helpful on the situation.
Another source tells CNN that both the House and Senate briefings were both roughly 45 minutes long and that the State Department is following up with members who weren’t able to have their questions answered due to “technical issues.”
Asked about the briefings, a White House official told CNN that "the White House remains in touch with House and Senate leadership to conduct classified briefings with staff soon and when Members are in Washington."
The Taliban have taken control of the presidential palace in Kabul after the country's president Ashraf Ghani fled the country. Follow here for the latest news.
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American snakes want help from Pakistan LOL After backstabbing Pakistan for 2 decades the Americans want help from Pakistan. I am glad Pakistan has shown a big middle finger.
