John Kirby: We Certainly Would Have Liked To Get More People Out If We Could, But the Time Just Wasn’t There

EXCERPT:

KIRBY: “As for the mood here, look, we’re grateful that we got everybody out safely yesterday. That was no small feat, moving those last 800 troops out of the airport safely and efficiently with nobody getting hurt, so I think there is a lot of relief in that. But there is also, as you heard General McKenzie say, there is heartbreak. Sure, we certainly would have liked and preferred to get more people out if we could, but the time just wasn’t there. And I don’t just mean the time on the clock, I mean the time in terms of the threat. It was something we had to keep mindful all the time. You don’t want to do anything that’s going to not only put your troops in danger, but also people around the airport and more civilians in danger. So it was a tough decision, a tough couple of days, but we are re-energizing our commitment to the entire government to continue to do what we can to help those that weren’t able to make it out."