(CNN) -
President Joe Biden has decided, in consultation with his national security team, to stick to the Aug. 31 deadline for withdrawing troops from Afghanistan, according to a senior administration official.
Biden made the decision conscious of the security risks to stay longer in the country, the official said.
You have asked for contingency plans in case you determine at a later date that the United States needs to stay in the country longer.
Thousands struggle to get out of Afghanistan
The Pentagon announced that there are "a little over 5,000" people at Kabul airport waiting to catch a flight.
This is a significant improvement in the speed of processing and evacuation flights.
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According to Army Maj. Gen. William "Hank" Taylor, deputy director of the Joint Chiefs of Staff for regional operations, "they are going through processing, continuing to do passenger counts and are ready to fly."
Taylor said the airport gates are also open.
Pentagon Press Secretary John Kirby said there are between five and 600 Afghan security forces assisting with the evacuation and that they will be evacuated by US forces if they want to leave.