The State Department is urging Americans still in Afghanistan to "shelter in place" until they hear otherwise from the U.S. Embassy.
"Our message remains for American citizens and for others who have expressed interest in relocation out of Afghanistan: shelter in place until and unless you receive a communication from the U.S. embassy," State Department spokesman Ned Price told reporters on Tuesday, according to Fox News.
Flights have resumed from Kabul airport after being shut down Monday amid the chaos of Afghans rushing the runway and clinging to U.S. military aircraft as they took off. People could be seen falling from a plane as it left the ground, and human remains were found in the wheel well when it landed.
Price said the State Department had given the first group of Americans who had "expressed interest in being repatriated" specific information where to go and when.
He said on Tuesday that "this is, again, a challenging security environment" and said Americans should remain in place until told to move.
The White House said earlier Tuesday that the Taliban had promised that civilians could travel safely to the Kabul airport as the U.S. military stepped up its airlift for Americans and Afghans fleeing the Islamist group.
Some 11,000 people with U.S. nationality remain inside the country, including diplomats, contractors and others, according to the White House, most waiting to be evacuated after the Taliban takeover.
Washington wants to complete the exodus before its August 31 withdrawal deadline, and thousands of U.S. soldiers were at the airport as the Pentagon planned to ramp up flights of its huge C-17 transport jets to as many as two dozen a day.
U.S. officials said they were in contact with Taliban commanders to ensure the flight operations at Hamid Karzai International Airport remained safe from attack and that citizens and Afghans seeking to leave had safe passage to the airport.
But Price said Tuesday that the U.S. could decide to keep its core diplomatic presence, now operating out of the airport after the US embassy was shuttered, after August 31.
"If it is safe and responsible for us to potentially stay longer, that is something we may be able to look at," Price said.
Price also called on the Taliban to follow through on promises to respect the rights of citizens, including women.
"If the Taliban says they are going to respect the rights of their citizens, we will be looking for them to uphold that statement," he said.
Despite some reports that people are being harassed and even beaten as they try to leave, White House National Security Advisor Jake Sullivan said "large numbers" had been able to reach the airport.
"The Taliban have informed us they are prepared to provide the safe passage of civilians to the airport, and we intend to hold them to that commitment," he told reporters.
At the Pentagon, Major General Hank Taylor said that US military officials at the airport had also been in communication with Taliban commanders about ensuring that the evacuations would continue safely over the coming days.
"We have had no hostile interactions, no attack and no threat by the Taliban," said Taylor.
He said that since the airport was reopened early Tuesday, the U.S. military had evacuated close to 800 people, among them 165 Americans, on seven flights.
The others include Afghans granted U.S. refugee visas, mostly for having worked as translators for American and NATO forces; other foreign nationals; and other unspecified "at risk" Afghans.
AFP contributed to this report.
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