Pentagon Acknowledges Americans ‘Stranded’ in Afghanistan After Pullout

An US Air Force aircraft takes off from the airport in Kabul on Aug. 30, 2021. Rockets were fired at Kabul's airport on Aug. 30 where U.S. troops were racing to complete their withdrawal from Afghanistan and evacuate allies under the threat of attacks from ISIS terrorists. Aamir Qureshi/AFP via Getty Images

Pentagon spokesman John Kirby on Tuesday acknowledged that Americans were stranded in Afghanistan despite earlier comments to the contrary made by White House officials. He said it’s not clear how many remain.

“Right now I think the tools we have available to us and that we’re going to use as a U.S. government is going to be more in the diplomatic, economic lanes, and we don’t really see a military role right now,” Kirby told MSNBC on Tuesday morning when asked if the U.S. military would play a role in rescuing those individuals.