hey, everybody. i'm chris cuomo. this is a special, live, late-night edition of "cuomo prime time." and we are doing it because it is 8:30 on friday morning in kabul, where our evacuation mission goes on despite a day of truly profound tragedy. deadly attacks that took the lives of 13 u.s. service members thursday. injured 18 others. some, very seriously. we are also hearing that as many

as 60 afghan citizens were killed, over 120 injured. m many, gravely. it's the deadliest day for our forces in the country in a decade. so what will daybreak bring for heroes on the front lines? again, a lot of afghans were hurt. a lot of afghans are afraid. a lot of afghans and the american troops know that what happened just hours ago, claimed by isis-k. this new off-chute of a well-known terror organization could happen again. and crowds are forming and the desperation to get out is winning over their fear of staying away. and president biden is vowing revenge. >> and we're outraged, as well as heartbroken. for those that carried out this attack, as well as anyone who wishes america harm, know this. we will not forgive.

we will not forget. we will hunt you down and make you pay. we will not be deterred by terrorists. we will not let them stop our mission. we will rescue the americans in there. we will get our afghan allies out. and our mission will go on. america will not be intimidated. >> the key word that you didn't hear is all. that you will get out all americans. now, that's an easier promise to make than all our allies. we are not exactly sure that the white house can say, with complete confidence, how many americans there are, let alone how many allies. now, the president says that terrorists aren't gonna stop our mission. but they can make it very bloody and difficult. and the question becomes how long will you stay in

afghanistan? what will you define as the mission being completed? will biden ignore tuesday's largely arbitrary deadline to get out? now, what are the numbers? we're told by the white house state department, 1,000 u.s. citizens are believed to be remaining in the country along with an unknown number of afghan allies. what happens now? and how do our troops stay safe? i am joined now by key members our white house team. john harwood and natasha bertrand, thank you both for being with me for this special coverage. natasha, i'll start with you. um, the idea of, because of what happened, they will now do things differently. is that reflected in our reporting? are there going to be changes made to how the mission is carried out because of the threat? >> well, we don't know, yet, chris, how exactly that mission is going to change. obviously, for operational-security reasons, the pentagon has not really wanted to get into details about

how they might try to prevent these terrorist attacks. but what they did say today is that president biden, the u.s. administration has been in close touch with the taliban. trying to thwart potential terrorist attacks. obviously, today that did not work. intelligence has been shared with taliban partners on the ground. but clearly, something got through here. something slipped through the cracks. the taliban perimeter on the outside was not able to get -- to prevent this suicide bomber from getting to that checkpoint closer to the airport where u.s. service members were screening people. um, so right now, what we do know, though, is that the pentagon has been conducting counterterrorism operations throughout the city trying to prevent isis members who are scattered throughout the cities, officials believe, from carrying out further attacks. but again, the general -- general mackenzie said today that they do expect that these threats will continue, whether it's from vehicle-born ieds, suicide bombers, or even rocket attacks. he even said that isis members have been shooting at departing aircraft. so these threats are ongoing.

they're persistent. um, it's really difficult now that we have less of a troop presence on the ground to prevent against those. again, relying heavily there on the taliban to provide security. but the president and the administration have said they are determined, still, to complete this mission by august 31st. there is no surge of troops, for example, over the horizon here. >> the statement, depending on the taliban to provide security just gives you a sense of the absurdity of the situation. john harwood, in terms of goals, talk to natasha about strategy. will it change? you know, my hope is that we don't see u.s. marines or any troops on a phalanx out in front of the protective cover as we saw on that chokepoint where the bombing occurred. y but in terms of the goals, have you heard anything about all americans will get out before we leave? and what the commitment to allies means in terms of whether they are going to accept, at some point, though they're not saying it, that people will be

left behind? >> well, the determination, i think, chris, is that all americans who want to get out will get out. whether that is by august 31st or after. some of that depends on their decision-making. the administration is estimating that about 700 people, americans remain in the country and are taking steps to leave. another 300 may not want to leave. may be dual nationals, whose families are in afghanistan and choose to stay. the -- the pace of evacuations, lately, has suggested and some of the special operations that have taken place to go beyond the airport and get some of those americans suggests that it is likely there's a good chance that most of those 700 had been out by august 31st. but the president said they're not going to stop at that point. and they would still have the capability to send people in on very targeted missions. in terms of the afghan allies,

that's much more problematic. the president has not made as firm and unequivocal a commitment to those siv holders. the p1 and p2 applicants. those who helped the u.s. war effort and in fact, a senior administration official told me the other day we know that a lot of deserving people are going to be left behind. that would happen under any circumstance when the taliban took over and the government fell. so i think the commitment there is not to get everyone. it's to get as many as possible. and it's -- it's possible that some missions would persist for some of those people after august 31st, as well. but as natasha indicated, this is a president who is convinced deeply that this war is not worth further american lives. and is going to pull out troops by august 31st, unless there is some exigent circumstance on that day that causes them to remain after that. >> it's going to be a really

ugly proposition of who do you want to watch die? is it going to be troops? nobody ever wants to see that. or the stories that are almost assured to follow once we leave, of people who were left behind. couple other beats. the first one is, natasha, have you heard any of this notion that the united states gave the taliban lists of people who were supposed to get through the checkpoints? have you heard about that? >> so, we haven't independently confirmed that reporting. but the president did allude to it today in his remarks when he was asked, specifically, by a reporter to respond to those reports. and he said that, look, sometimes when we have gotten indication that certain americans and afghans who we believe should be able to get out of the country have been blocked, for whatever reason, by the taliban. we have given those taliban fighters lists of names -- um -- of these people. and to -- to convey to them that they need to be allowed through. he did not say, for sure, that these were lists that were being

given -- given out on a regular basis, for example, that they were just being handed out to the taliban. but he did say that in some limited circumstances, the taliban was getting information about u.s. citizens and afghans who have worked with the united states who are eligible or who have these special immigrant visas -- um -- to allow them safe passage to the airport. what we don't know is whether that has worked in all instances, right? because we have heard of multiple cases in which these afghans have been getting turned away. and in a dddition to u.s. citizs and green-card holders and permanent residents. the main concern here obviously is that once the united states leaves, retribution is going to begin against those afghan partners based on these lists if that is, indeed, what they are. lists. that the administration has given to taliban fighters. obviously, although they are providing a certain amount of security around the airport, there have still been circumstances in which they have sought revenge against these afghan allies who worked with the united states. >> it's amazing. once the taliban fell under the category of terrorist, you would

not negotiate with. now, you are giving them lists of your own people who want to get through. john harwood, um, the idea of isis-k. one level is going to be whether or not this expressed animosity between the taliban and them is really true because there are reports from the ground there that some suspect that the isis-k guys are in and among, insinuated among the taliban numbers there. but in terms of what the real threat is that's perceived by the white house, are they more worried about the taliban? or isis-k going forward? >> well, i think for the next five days, they are more worried about isis-k because as the president indicated today and as general mackenzie indicated, as well. the taliban and -- and u.s. forces have a significant common purpose, which is to get american troops out of there. and the taliban effective ly control the country. that compels cooperation with them. and to the extent that they want

to make sure that americans leave, it is in their interest to help americans leave. obviously, the administration and u.s. military commanders don't entirely trust the taliban. but they've got to work with them. in terms of isis-k, and -- and -- and on the issue you were just discussing with natasha. clearly, if isis-k had insinuated itself within the taliban, then that cooperation becomes much more problematic because, then you -- you've got information that's being aggressively used against the interests of u.s. troops and that's something the administration would want to avoid. but i do think that in the immediate instance, they are looking at figuring out what are operational targets that they can strike? how can they degrade isis-k's capability? i would expect that that would happen after u.s. forces have left on august 31st. but look. it's -- it's a murky and

complicated situation. they knew enough to know that an attack like this was likely coming, and they said more are likely still coming. but don't know enough to prevent it. >> one of the breakouts i want to hear from the numbers from the taliban side is how many of the people they are saying were seriously injured and killed are their own? they have just been saying afghan people. they haven't said whether they were members of the taliban. john harwood, thank you very much. nat natasha bertrand, appreciate you being with us. all right. those 1,000-or-so american citizens believed to be in afghanistan tonight include my next guest. what she is seeing is as scary as any of the images that you've been watching coming out of kabul. why she refuses to leave, next.

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hundreds of afghans are still gathered around the perimeter, desperate to flee no matter the risks. they know that people died where they're standing right now. and there are tens of thousands more, just like them. do they have hope? what if they have the paperwork? what if they were made promises? my next guest is an american citizen. she is a former interpreter for the u.s. military. and even she had to go through hoops and hurdles for any promise of getting out. we're going to call her sarah. why? because she's afraid. she's there. she's a woman. and she is someone who worked with the americans. that makes her very, very endangered. all right. and we're not going to show her face, either, to keep her safe. sarah, can you hear me? >> yes, i do. hello, chris. >> all right. good. so we're not going to show your

face. i'm not showing the right name -- um -- because i care about your safety. and i appreciate what you're doing because i want you to tell people, one, tell us a little bit about the video that you sent us from a few days ago. just for how serious it is even before the bombings. just what the taliban has been doing to people that you've seen? >> actually, we start going to the airport with few families on august 16. and we spent two nights there but we didn't get lucky to get inside. so on the 19, we went back there early in the morning. and things was very bad. like, it was chaos. i mean, we -- it was very hard for us to get in. so somehow, we got close to the -- to the gate. but we -- unfortunately, we couldn't get in. and all of a sudden, we see them -- different units from afghan different units. they call it 01, 02, 03. they will keep calling us to sit down. so i sat down with three, four

kids that they were with me. and they all -- we -- i got -- someone got shot right next to me. and all the blood was over my clothes. and i was really scared. i just want to make sure protect the kids. so the guy walked away from me. and then, as soon as i turn my face, there is another shot and the guy just fell on the floor and he got killed. >> sarah, i still have you? oh, good. you're there. so -- so we just saw -- we just saw you walking. but just so i understand, who shot people? was it a member of the afghan army? was it a taliban? was it -- who -- who did it? >> it -- it was a -- the afghan -- i think it was afghan special forces, they are working with the americans but americans are not shooting and in that area, there was no taliban. but -- um -- the question is here whose fault it is? but this is the question of whose fault it is? should they shoot or not to shoot? because people around that area. they are just trying to push in

to get into the gate. so they have no control but to shoot because there is no way you control these crowds. so that's the only reason they have no -- no choice but to start shooting because they -- none of them are listening. everybody's there. the military -- the american military or the afghan special forces have no clue who are entering. the -- the right person or the wrong person. >> right. >> because everyone is at the gate. but some of them -- i -- i feel, witnessing myself -- i feel there -- 60% of those people are without any documentation. they never even worked with americans. but they took opportunity away from those who really worked with americans. so you -- it's a chaos. you have no idea what's going on there. and it's just everybody's running around. so it's a really sad moment. and i have been trying since august 16 to get these families out of the country. but i'm keep failing because some of them have approved sivs. some of them are pending since 2015. and some of them did not even apply for siv because they are

living in different provinces. they have no access to internet. or they have no clue how to fill out these forms. so i have been working around the clock, day and night, to fill out their forms while they are staying in my house. right now, i have almost 51 people in my house. they are staying here because they came from different provinces and my heart goes on for them because i have to be honest, chris. i want to share something with the world. in afghanistan right now, whoever left the country, most of them are people who were big contractors who have connections. who got fake -- lots of fake recommendation letters from a lot of different big contractors. and those people who really fought, who really supported the u.s. military in different fields and battlefield in different provinces. they are all left behind. and when i came to afghanistan, not too long ago i came here, i got stuck to leave the country and my friends start calling me from states including some of my

very close friend start calling me. where are you? i say i'm in afghanistan. they are like we have family who are leaving the prorvinces because their life is in danger and they are coming on your way. i said you know what? my house door is open for them because they are there for us. we are going to be there for them. >> so you told -- i heard that it's been very hard for you. not that you want -- you know, you want to talk about it being hard for you. you are talking about everybody else. but that people are literally grabbing you by the feet, kissing your feet. begging you for help. um -- and you're not able to provide the help that they need. and that, you know, the window's getting kind of small for you to leave even as an american citizen. and you are refusing to leave until you can get more people out? >> it is just very sad to see them. the women. they have to kiss my feet. it's heartbreaking and i can't leave them behind. i have 19 kids in my house and two of them are disabled.

um, i feed them. i take care of them. i can't leave this country. and since yesterday, i have been waiting for state department to evacuate two families. but they are saying right now they just told me that there is no bus available. chris, i can't leave. um, i can't leave these families. they were there with us. they worked just like i did and i can't leave them behind. i will stay at the end, the government support me. and i know the -- the government can help us and support us because we have a very organized military. i worked with them for more than 13, 14 years. and i know, they can organize everything and evacuate the right people. let's not worry about who's approved with siv, who is pending. but just look at them who worked with them. it doesn't matter about their siv approval. they have to leave this country because a lot of people who came from provinces. they don't even have place to live. and this is the only shelter they have that i give it to them so they can get -- be in a safe

place. how can i leave these kids and go to america and go to panera bread or starbucks and drink my coffee while i am thinking who i left people behind me, are they going to get killed? i still -- i am a human and i still have a heart inside me. i can't do that. i -- i do not -- as a -- normally, i -- i should say that i am a woman. i am a mother. and i can't do this. i just -- it's very difficult because i'm not trained to be very [ inaudible ]. because i look at the older people. all qualified. they all have their recommendation letter. i want them to go. right now, i have 60 people waiting in another place and i told them, please do not come to my house. i have no room. they all came from provinces. they came with their kids. they left their homes because i wouldn't be -- i -- i will not allow myself to talk why they left their homes because i don't feel comfortable because i am in

danger, myself. but i want the government and everybody in america who supported this war for 20 years. let's just help those people who supported the military. the service members. it's very important for us to support them now. they need us. they were there for us yesterday and today we are here for them. i, personally, am here for them. the last moment till i get them help because i will not walk away on them. i will not leave them behind. >> you know, sarah, i -- i wish there were more that we could do -- um -- to help you. you know, as you know, there's just no system set up for this. it's -- it's very hard. and, you know, you have been in contact with ismail khan who we have had on the show and is in seattle trying to work with people to help. they have been filing papers, working with the u.s. senator. but there -- you know, there is no, real system for this. it's all being done kind of in the moment. but, you know, my promise to you remains. you know, we have been in contact over the last few days to try to find ways to get your story out. and to help you tell your story

about what's happening, and our commitment to that will continue, all the way through. if there's any moment where getting attention to what you are trying to do and who you are trying to work with is helpful, just let us know. and we will try to knock on any doors that we can for you. you just have to help us with the direction. >> chris, i also want to mention i have my daughter. she is recently diagnosed with brain cancer. she is working, around the clock, with me in states contacting different pocs, different colonels. and i am very proud of colonel hooper, who is supporting me. major marissa who is supporting me here with all those people are here and my daughter is working with me, with congressmen, with senators to support us and help us do their parts and there -- and i am proud of her and i am very thankful to all those who are supporting me from states. please, we have to help those people who served us and supported us. >> i hear you. i believe you. and i appreciate what you're

doing. one american to another. and let us know how to help. okay, sarah? >> thank you so much. thank you for your time. thank you. >> all right. god bless. >> keep us in your prayers. >> i will. god bless. and be safe. and we will stay in contact every day. um, let's take a break. we'll be right back.

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it's a whole new world out there. let's not keep it waiting.

so you got a two-pronged effort here, right? got to get out the good guys. got to get after the bad guys now. what does that mean? does that mean going back in? highly, highly doubtful but that's up to president biden. he says he has plans to strike back at isis-k for what they did. killing scores of people, including u.s. service members. at least 13. 18 others injured. some very badly. remember, this has all been

changing in real-time, right? just days ago, he said this. >> we made clear to the taliban that any attack -- any attack on our forces or disruption of our operations at the airport will be met with swift and forceful response. >> right. but not against the taliban, in this case, right? because isis-k is supposedly their enemy, right? but we are hearing from the ground that people believe that the isis guys are mixed in with the taliban guys. what's the reality? do we even know? do we even have time to find out? so, what will retaliation look like? let's bring in bob bear and retired lieutenant colonel daniel davis. thank you for helping me, especially at the hour. appreciate you. bob, let me start with you. the president had to say that. when america ais attacked when any of our service men or women are hurt, you can expect the commander in chief to knuckle up but how real is that threat?

>> it's not very real, chris. the problem is that the islamic state as you said is mixed in with the taliban. even the taliban don't know who they are. these suicide bombers can manufacture the stuff at home. they don't have bases. they don't have a command structure like we know. sometimes, they are not up on cell phones. so to strike back at them is gonna be nearly impossible. i know we'd like to, but you just can't. >> colonel, were you able to hear the interview with the woman we had in the last segment? >> i was. yes. i was riveted. i was. >> that kind of desperation. how -- do we have the logistical means in this kind of window to get any kind of process that efficiently can get out any significant number of the people who remain? >> well, i -- i -- i think it's a remarkable achievement, what we have gotten so far. i mean, we're -- we're -- i think we had just gone over

100,000. and, you know, when you got to put that into context. the original plan -- in fact, when august 31st was even mentioned as date was to get out the 2,500 troops by that date. and then, all hell went -- broke loose when -- when the afghan government and military disintegrated. and now, all the sudden, it turned into an evacuation and the fact that we have gotten this many out is -- is really a testament to how fast the military can respond, on the fly, to a really world-class emergency. so problem is that clock is ticking. and, you know, it's harder to get in and i don't know how many more are going to get out. but my heart bleeds for them. and i also have a friend who is one of those trying to get in. so i can feel for what she is saying. >> you know, that's a fair point, bob. um, look. you can make the case very easily that the biden administration did not handle this exit well. but the rapid collapse did create an evacuation scenario that wasn't envisioned. um -- >> oh, absolute -- yeah, absolutely. >> go ahead, bob. >> well, i mean, it did. but here's the problem, chris. we got to get to the problem.

is kabul airport is indefensible. i don't know whose decision that was. i've flown in there. i've been to bagram. bagram was defensible. >> bagram's like a city, by the way, for the people at home. it's about 40 miles away from where they are. it's remote. there was a decision made. um -- during the trump and biden administration. finally, in july, they closed it but it's like a city. okay. bagram air base is literally like a city. go ahead. >> i have driven in there. you -- you can't get suicide bombers maybe to an outpost right at the edge. it was defensible. that was a mistake doing that and kabul is basically in the city. and it's really hit me hard, these guys. that -- that died. i was in beirut in the '80s when the marines got hit. when the embassy got hit. and -- and -- and in '83. it was indefensible. and this is what really has hit me hard. you just can't put these people, soldiers in a mob like this

because suicide bombers. you don't know who they are. they can -- they can -- that crowd. there was a horrible mistake made here. and we -- we need to get a grip on this. and our military can fight battles but it cannot fight mobs that are wearing suicide vests. that's not what they are trained for. it's impossible to do. >> colonel, last word to you about the decision to not use bagram for this and to do it out of kabul. and what the thinking was at that time? and why it's different now? >> yeah. i think you just got to look at the timeline in all this. and the original plan was to have the 2,500 personnel out. and the -- the reduction plan where we were slowly shutting things down. that made sense then because the -- nothing in that plan said, hey, the afghan military's going to disintegrate in the -- and the taliban is going to roll up on it. so they thought they had absolutely plenty of time to be able to get that out. once it became clear that the military fell apart, the tal --

or the -- bagram was already gone. i mean, we had already turned it over, like, a month or so before that. so you can't undo that. and unfortunately, that's just where we are. >> bob bear, lieutenant colonel daniel davis. appreciate you. >> my pleasure, thank you. >> front lines. back channels. what can be done from a diplomatic standpoint in this rescue mission? now, what does that mean? that means what about this plan after we leave? is there really a reasonable expectation of anything good happening? next.

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a few minutes ago, you heard the harrowing experience of an american citizen who is refusing to leave kabul because there are too many people she says just as ready to get out as she. many of our afghan allies are having a tough time even if they worked with the government, with the military. even if they were promised. even though biden renewed his commitment to help them, he admitted not everyone will likely be able to get out. so what does that mean for after?

how will we be able to control anything? her family fled taliban rule in afghanistan in the '90s. thank you very much for joining us. >> thank you very much, chris, for having me. >> so i don't know if you were able to hear our interview with sarah -- sarah but that's not her real name but, you know, we are trying to protect her. um, she's got 50 people staying in her house. there's another 60 she is trying to help. she says, you know, they're all siv eligible. these are the families and the people who helped the military who were promised and they're not gonna get out. after america leaves, what is the reasonable expectation of an agreement with the taliban to continue to allow people to leave? >> thank you, chris. first, i want to clarify. my family left before the taliban. but we know what it is to leave your home behind with nothing on your back. and how terrifying of a prospect

that is. and that is where thousands of afghans are and facing uncertain prospects and tremendous fear for themselves and their families. unfortunately, the administration is going to have very little leverage over the taliban once it leaves and that's why there's a hope that it will continue to help as many afghans as possible to leave, including women and human rights defenders. after the u.s. leaves, the -- i think the -- the -- the hope is that they can work with regional actors who are now in a much stronger position than the u.s. -- um -- even right now, qatar, the uae, and even pakistan have been helpful in the evacuations. that type of work with the regional actors will be really important. and the united nations to help in this will be really important. their leadership is critical aa in -- in a situation like this. the freedom of movement is a law

protected -- is a right protected by -- by international law. and it's -- right now, afghans fear for their life. those that fear for their life should have the right to leave. we should have humanitarian both for freedom of movement, as well as for humanitarian purposes. we need to get the region to open up their borders, provide visas, and to just create the possibility for these people to -- to -- to leave and with their families if that is what they want. the taliban have made that commitment, and they should honor it. and we should use whatever leverage that remains and the key relationships that need to be maintained in order to enable that. >> so, two dynamics. one, the u.n. we know that there are staff there but it's a small-scale staff and that raises the question, why isn't the u.n. a dominant force in this situation right now? why are -- why isn't there a huge force there as a peacekeeping thing? and secondly, how much of a

motivator will money be with the taliban in terms of -- i know it's not politically palatable but as their practicality, literally paying for the access to getting people out. >> very early on in the last 20 years, it was determined that there would be no peacekeeping because largely, this was a situation where the war on terror determined the parameters of how internationals engaged in afghanistan. and u.s. forces fighting against the taliban is essentially the -- you know, the understanding and the framework of this war and ultimately the outcome of -- of this. very little of this was owned by the united nations -- um -- and the way that a lot of other countries that the u.n. engages in. this was a very unique situation. and now, there is an opportunity to bring the u.n. to the -- the -- the u.n. and afghanistan

mandate is being reviewed in september. and this is the time to call on the secretary general to invoke the leadership of the u.n. to -- to ensure that it is going to be well resourced because afghanistan is not only facing a -- a -- a political crisis, a governance crisis. but a humanitarian catastrophe and for that, the role of the u.n. is absolutely going to be critical. in terms of money and how important that is for the taliban. the leverage that the u.s. still has is a diplomacy and recognition, money, and the u.n. sanctions. and in terms of the money, the degree to which, you know, sanctioning a country oftentimes ends up hurting the population when it comes to economic sanctions unless you do it in a very targeted way that -- that hurts the leadership, rather than the population. and that, i think, going to be the critical factor in -- in

how -- in how that leverage is used. >> thank you so much and just to be clear, your family fled afghanistan with nothing but the clothes on their back. just before the taliban had come into control. so your family knows the hardship. and you have learned and studied and now examine the risk, present day, which is very real to the people who are left behind, especially the women. so we will stay on this story, and thank you for your perspective. >> thank you. >> all right. so we have an afghanistan war veteran ahead to get his perspective on what it is like for the troops there. and how does that shape his feeling about how long they should be exposed to the threat that just killed 13 of them and injured 18 more? next. when our daughter and hr kids moved in with us... our bargain detergent couldn't keep up. turns out it's mostly water. so, we switched back to tide. one wash, stains are gone. [daughter] slurping don't pay for water. pay for clean. it's got to be tide.

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morning now in kabul. the morning after terrorists killed 13 of our troops, injured 18 other, some seriously. killed 16 afghan civilians, well over 100 injure. the evacuation mission is going to be very dangerous, and there is every expectation we haven't seen the last of potential bloodshed. let's bring in someone who once served in the war. richard o'jetta. national spokes person for no man left behind. thank you for your service and thank you for your perspective on the situation. in light of the attacks and the on going threat, what do you think is the right way forward for america here? >> well, i think we have to continue to do what we're doing. right now this is a herculean effort to be able to help get

civilians, interpreters and refugees out of the country. over 100,000 people have been flown to safety, and we're on track for another 100,000, and i think that is a phenomenal event that is taking place, and of course, we can't control when things like isis sneaks in and does what they do. but i think that we have to continue down this path until we get these people out. >> where do you put the blame for the problems of this mission? >> well, i'm not going to put the blames on president biden. i think that president biden inherited this, and once again, we're talking about what's taking place right now is absolutely amazing. you know, people are going flown out at numbers that nobody could have ever imagined. you know, this started with president trump making a deal with the taliban, and president biden has extended to august

31st. but i think that we're doing exactly what needs to happen. i think were mistakes that need to be made. but i believe we're doing the right thing. there is never a good time to end an unwinnable war. but we need to get out of there. >> we need to get out of there. but heres the problem. if you leave people behind, and they are identified as friendlies and women, we are going to hear horror stories coming out of this country, unless it is true that the taliban can be trusted to make a deal that going forward, they still allow people to leave without u.s. military presence. do you buy into that? and how do you balance the need to leave with what kind of pain will be suffered by the people behind if you do? >> well, is this a rough situation. it really is. we want to try to get as many people out as we can, and maybe we can work something out after

august 31st. you know, i will tell you i have been working for years. over 11 years, i have been writing lefters to help interpreters and families. and woke up to two interpreters, their wives and children, leaving on a plane to qatar, and i nearly shed tears of joy. i still have an interpreter who was leaving today. but because of the blast, it's unsure if he will get out of there. i have an interpreter who made it to arizona, and he has been denied the ability to have his wife and child. how do we have -- >> this is a rough situation. >> i hear you. it's rough. and i think the question is, how do we make good on a promise we know we have to keep.

cha's the challenge. richard, thank you for your service. and i appreciate your per perspective. >> stay tuned. the coverage of the kabul terror attack will continue here on cnn. that help unleash your energy. loaded with b vitamins... ...and other key essential nutrients... ...it's a tasty way to conquer your day. try centrum multi gummies. now with a new look. my plaque psoriasis... ...the itching ...the burning. the stinging. my skin was no longer mine. my psoriatic arthritis, made my joints stiff, swollen... painful. emerge tremfyant™. with tremfya®, adults with moderate to severe plaque psoriasis... ...can uncover clearer skin and improve symptoms at 16 weeks. tremfya® is the only medication of its kind also approved for adults with active psoriatic arthritis. serious allergic reactions may occur. tremfya® may increase your risk of infections and lower your ability to fight them.

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>> good evening, on what's been one of the most tragic days in the two decade long mission in afghanistan with a threat of more such days to come. take a look at the flags on capitol hill and at the white house. they are at half staff, honoring the now 13 american service members including ten marines who died with 18 more wounded after two explosions at and near the hamid karzai international airport in kabul. an affiliate of the isis terror group in afghanistan known as