Biden is set to speak as the Taliban pushes back against Kabul evacuations

• President Joe Biden will address the nation from the White House at 12 p.m. ET Tuesday about Afghanistan.
• Earlier Tuesday, the Taliban said Afghans will be prevented from going to the airport in the capital of Kabul.
• The Taliban also said that the US must finish its evacuation of people from Afghanistan by the August 31 deadline.
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President Joe Biden is set to address the nation from the White House at 12 p.m. ET Tuesday about the “ongoing efforts” in Afghanistan.

The speech comes as the Taliban is pushing back on America’s evacuation efforts, saying Afghans will be prevented from going to the airport in the capital of Kabul to try to flee the country.

Biden will discuss the US’ “ongoing efforts in Afghanistan to evacuate American citizens, SIV [Special Immigrants Visa] applicants and their families, and other vulnerable Afghans, and his meeting with fellow G7 leaders on how our nations can come together in support of the Afghan people,” the White House said.

A Taliban spokesman pushed the US to stop allowing Afghan citizens to leave, saying their skills will be required to rebuild the country.

“We are asking the American: please change your policy and don’t encourage Afghans to leave,” said Taliban spokesperson Zabihullah Mujahid.

The Taliban also said Tuesday that the US must finish its evacuation of people from Afghanistan by the Biden administration’s August 31 deadline.

The group said it will not accept any extensions on the withdrawal date.

Meanwhile, reports emerged Tuesday that Biden had CIA Director William Burns meet with Taliban leader Abdul Ghani Baradar in Kabul on Monday – making it “the highest-level face-to-face encounter between the Taliban and the Biden administration since the militants seized the Afghan capital,” The Washington Post first reported.

The Taliban took control of Afghanistan last week after the stunning collapse of the Afghan government.