How Many Americans and Allies Are Left in Afghanistan?

On Aug. 18, President Joe Biden said if there were U.S. citizens left in Afghanistan on Aug. 31 who wanted to leave, “we’re gonna stay to get them all out.” But that’s not what happened when the last U.S. soldier departed the country.

Biden broke that promise. But how many Americans are left? The White House puts the figure at 100 to 200, while one Republican lawmaker suggested the figure was much higher. We’ll take a look at what we know and don’t know about these numbers, as well as estimates on how many Afghans who aided U.S. forces still want to leave.

How Many Are Left in Afghanistan?

The exact number of Americans still in Afghanistan who want to leave is unknown. In his Aug. 31 speech on ending the 20-year war in Afghanistan, Biden said that the vast majority of Americans who wanted to get out had already been evacuated, with about “100 to 200 Americans” who intend to leave still in the country.

Now we believe that about 100 to 200 Americans remain in Afghanistan with some intention to leave. Most of those who remain are dual citizens, longtime residents who had earlier decided to stay