US forces must leave Afghanistan by August 31, the Taliban has demanded - raising serious concerns for those who have been unable to flee the country.
The newly established rulers of Afghanistan have demanded that the US keep to the previously agreed withdrawal date.
Taliban spokesman Zabihullah Mujahid has said no evacuations from Afghanistan will be permitted after that deadline.
During a press conference in Kabul, he said: "August 31 is the time given and after that it's something that is against the agreement.
"All people should be removed prior to that date.
"After that we do not allow them, it will not be allowed in our country, we will take a different stance."
According to the BBC, the Taliban's spokesman said Afghans should not go to the airport or try to leave the country - but added that foreigners would be allowed to travel.
The news is likely to intensify the rush to get out of the country among those fearful of the Taliban's hardline regime.
At least 20 people have reportedly been killed in Kabul's airport chaos over the past week, primarily amid gunfire and stampedes.
US and international forces in control of the site are attempting to facilitate evacuation efforts, while the Taliban has deployed fighters outside the airport.
On Sunday, US President Joe Biden warned that the evacuation was going to be "hard and painful" and much could still go wrong.
American troops might stay beyond the August 31 deadline to oversee the evacuation, he added.
Beyond the need to remove thousands of Americans, citizens of allied countries and Afghans who worked with U.S. forces, US Department of Defense officials said it would still take days to fly out the 6,000 troops deployed to secure and run the airlift.
Between 3 a.m. and 3 p.m. local time on Monday, some 10,900 people were evacuated from Kabul, meaning the United States had facilitated the removal of 48,000 people since August 14.
US defence officials had told the Reuters news agency that almost everything would have to go perfectly to extricate every American citizen by the deadline given concerns about reaching the airport, terrorist attacks, and complicated processing times.
The US was yet to respond to the Taliban's declaration that there would be no extension at the time of writing.
In a Twitter post shortly after the announcement, Mr Biden said: "The United States stands by the commitment we’ve made to evacuate people—and this includes vulnerable Afghans, such as women leaders and journalists."
He added in a recorded video that the US would use "every resource necessary to carry out the mission at hand and bring to safety American citizens and our Afghan allies."
It was reported over the weekend that Boris Johnson planned to urge his US counterpart to extend the evacuation deadline at a G7 meeting scheduled for later on Tuesday.
The G7 leaders could discuss taking a united stand on the question of whether to recognise a Taliban government, or renew sanctions to pressure the movement to comply with pledges to respect women's rights and international relations.
“Even though they are the seven most powerful people on the planet, they don’t get to take that decision in isolation," armed forces minister James Heappey has said of hopes the G7 could push for a change to the deadline.
"The Taliban get a vote as well and that’s why we’re continuing to work towards the 31st."
The Taliban's Mujahid has said the group had not agreed to an extension of the deadline and it wanted all foreign evacuations to be completed by August 31.
He also called on the United States not to encourage Afghan people to leave their homeland.
The Taliban wanted to resolve the situation through dialogue, he said, and he urged foreign embassies not to close
or stop work.
"We have assured them of security," he added.
Despite Taliban' officials' vows the new regime would respect women's rights - including to participate in education and work - international observers have remained doubtful.
Top Taliban representatives sparked concern this week when they told international women's rights would be upheld - but within the bounds of strict Islamic law.
Top United Nations human rights official, Michelle Bachelet, said she had already received credible reports of serious violations committed by the Taliban, including summary execution of civilians and restrictions on women and protests against their rule.
"A fundamental red line will be the Taliban's treatment of women and girls," she told an emergency session of the Human Rights Council in Geneva.
