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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.

.@SecBlinken tells @MarthaRaddatz that officials have identified about 300 American citizens who want to be evacuated by Tuesday deadline: “We are very actively working to help them get to the airport, get on a plane and get out of Afghanistan.” https://t.co/5z8ChbTew7 pic.twitter.com/n42BMqF9Eh

— This Week (@ThisWeekABC) August 29, 2021

The new warnings of possible attacks come as the country is still reeling from the bombing at Kabul's airport Thursday that killed 13 U.S. service members, and more than 170 Afghans, even after the U.S. Embassy issued a warning of the urgent threat at the airport.

\"The hard reality of this mission is that at a certain point, direct contact was necessary between our people, our men and women in uniform, and those coming into the airport,\" Blinken said, when pressed by Raddatz why more steps weren't taken to ensure troop security after the warning went out.

\"PHOTO:
Alex Brandon/Pool via Reuters
PHOTO: U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken speaks during a media briefing on Afghanistan, at the State Department, in Washington, Aug. 25, 2021.
>

\"Whenever you have something as horrific as this, anytime we have a loss of life, we're going to go back and look very hard at what was done, and whether anything could have been done better,\" Blinken said, again stressing the dangerous mission at hand.

But with a ticking clock, and the administration committed to keeping their Aug. 31 deadline for all troops to leave Afghanistan, real questions remain about the United States' ability to get any remaining Americans and Afghan allies out of a country under Taliban control once U.S. troops are gone.

\"The hard reality of this mission is that at a certain point, direct contact was necessary between our people, our men and women in uniform, and those coming into the airport,\" @SecBlinken says when pressed by @MarthaRaddatz about security after threats. https://t.co/QL3sPNI30N pic.twitter.com/T6CZnH4OOW

— This Week (@ThisWeekABC) August 29, 2021

Blinken pointed to private and public assurances from Taliban leadership to allow free travel after America's departure as a reassurance that there would be ways out of Kabul -- a suggestion many fearing retribution for helping the United States take little comfort in.

\"They're not reassured -- those Afghan interpreters who aren't getting out, they're not reassured by a statement like that. So what more can you tell them (about) how to get out?\" Raddatz asked.

.@MarthaRaddatz presses @SecBlinken on Taliban claims to allow travel after U.S. forces withdraw: \"I'm not saying we should trust the Taliban on anything. I'm simply reporting what one of their senior leaders said to the Afghan people.\" https://t.co/UErbq7z5a4 pic.twitter.com/AuOt70rFYm

— This Week (@ThisWeekABC) August 29, 2021

\"One hundred and fourteen countries have made very clear that it's their expectation that the Taliban will permit people to travel, going past Aug. 31. So, that is a clear expectation, across the entire world, across the entire international community,\" Blinken argued.

\"We have very significant leverage to work with over the weeks and months ahead to incentivize the Taliban to make good on its commitments,\" he added, noting the U.S. has been \"actively planning\" to keep Kabul's airport functioning, or reopening it quickly if needed, in conjunction with other countries in the region.

\"If the Taliban is serious about the commitments that it's repeatedly made in public, including nationally, across the country, as well as in private -- commitments that the international community intends to hold the Taliban to -- then we'll find ways to do it,\" Blinken said.

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