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Afghanistan updates: US, Taliban hold first direct talks since withdrawal
State Dept. spokesperson Ned Price called the talks "candid and professional."
It's been more than a month since the U.S. withdrew all U.S. troops from Afghanistan on President Joe Biden's order to leave by Aug. 31, ending a chaotic evacuation operation after the Afghan government collapsed and the Taliban seized control of the country.
In testimony to Congress last month, their first since the withdrawal of all U.S. forces from Afghanistan -- Chairman of the Joint Chiefs Gen. Mark Milley and Gen. Kenneth McKenzie, commander of U.S. Central Command, candidly admitted that they had recommended to Biden that the U.S. should keep a troop presence there, appearing to contradict his assertions to ABC News' George Stephanopoulos.
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US airstrike takes out suspected vehicle-borne IED: Official
The U.S. conducted an airstrike to take out a vehicle-borne IED in Kabul that posed a threat to the airport.
U.S. Central Command confirmed that a strike was conducted against a vehicle in Kabul, eliminating an imminent ISIS-K threat to Hamad Karzai International Airport.
"We are confident we successfully hit the target. Significant secondary explosions from the vehicle indicated the presence of a substantial amount of explosive material," according to the statement.
"We are assessing the possibilities of civilian casualties, though we have no indications at this time," the statement continued. "We remain vigilant for potential future threats.”
The airstrike came as U.S. forces are on high alert for a possible attack at the airport, where a suicide bombing occurred at the gates on Thursday and killed 13 U.S. service members.
-ABC News' Matt Seyler
President, first lady at Dover Air Force Base
The president and first lady Jill Biden traveled to Dover Air Force Base Sunday morning to attend the dignified transfer of the 13 U.S. service members killed in Thursday's suicide bombing attack at the Kabul airport.
The Bidens arrived at Dover at 8:40 a.m. and were expected to meet with the families of the fallen service members prior to honoring their loved ones when their bodies return to the United States in flag-draped coffins around noon.
-ABC News' Molly Nagle
'Risk is very high' for another attack in Kabul: Blinken
Hours after President Joe Biden issued a dire warning that it was "highly likely" the Kabul airport could see another attack in the 24 to 36 hours leading up to the final U.S. troop withdrawal, Secretary of State Antony Blinken underscored the warning in an interview for ABC's "This Week."
"This is the most dangerous time in an already extraordinarily dangerous mission, these last couple of days. And so, we will do everything possible to keep people safe. But the risk is very high," Blinken told 'This Week' Co-Anchor Martha Raddatz.
The Pentagon confirmed Saturday that the final drawdown of troops had begun, intensifying pressure on the United States to evacuate the remaining Americans looking to leave the country as the terror threat is ratcheted to new heights.
Blinken, who met with the president and top commanders at the White House Saturday morning, said the U.S. was doing "everything possible" to get the remaining Americans safely out of the country.
"We have about 300 American citizens left who have indicated to us that they want to leave. We are very actively working to help them get to the airport, get on a plane and get out of Afghanistan," Biden's top diplomat said.
-ABC News' Molly Nagle
Evacuations at Kabul airport continue despite ongoing threat
Roughly 900 more Americans and Afghan allies were evacuated from the Hamid Karzai International Airport in Kabul overnight, bringing the total number flown out of the country since the emergency airlift was ramped up on Aug. 14 to 114,000, the White House said on Sunday.
Between 3 a.m. Saturday and 3 a.m. Sunday, about 2,900 evacuees boarded U.S. military and coalition flights departing Afghanistan, approximately 900 of those flying out after 3 p.m. on Saturday, officials said.
According to the White House, 32 U.S. military flights carried 2,200 evacuees out of harm's way during a 24-hour period, while another 700 people got out on nine coalition flights.
The evacuations have gone on despite the president's warning on Saturday that an attack on the airport was "highly likely" in the aftermath of twin ISIS-K suicide bombings outside the airport's gates on Thursday that killed 13 U.S. service members and at least 170 Afghan civilians.
-ABC News' Molly Nagle