Defense Secretary Austin: Americans Having ‘Tough Encounters With Taliban’

Secretary of Defense Lloyd Austin listens as U.S. President Joe Biden gestures as delivers remarks on the U.S. military’s ongoing evacuation efforts in Afghanistan from the East Room of the White House in Washington on Aug. 20, 2021. Anna Moneymaker/Getty Images

Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin confirmed incidents of Taliban violence against Americans in Afghanistan amid a chaotic evacuation from the Kabul airport over the past week.

In an interview on Sunday, Austin said there have been “tough encounters with [the] Taliban,” coming about two days after President Joe Biden denied that Americans were having difficulties getting to the Kabul airport.