Biden says he's heard of 'no circumstance' in which an American is unable to access Kabul airport. ABC's Ian Pannell begs to differ.

published 20 August 2021

ABC News journalist Ian Pannell, reporting on the ground in Afghanistan, called President Biden out for his Friday claim that Americans stuck in Kabul have had little to no difficulty getting to the airport, telling colleague David Muir that it seems "the reality and the rhetoric are miles apart," per ABC News.

"Last night ... we had Americans that had exactly that experience," who presented their passports, as required, and were "beaten by the Taliban with the rubber fan belt from a vehicle," Pannell continued. Americans, Afghans, and special immigrant visa applicants have all reportedly tried and failed to access the airport at times, hindered by dangerous Taliban checkpoints, for example. Biden told reporters Friday that the Taliban has been allowing Americans through, adding "we will do whatever needs to be done to see to it [Americans] get to the airport."

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Brigid Kennedy worked at The Week from 2021 to 2023 as a staff writer, junior editor and then story editor, with an interest in U.S. politics, the economy and the music industry.

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