Sen. Roger Wicker (R-MS) on Tuesday sent a letter to President Biden, discouraging him from allowing the Taliban to “set the timetable” for U.S. evacuations from Afghanistan as the jihadist organization said it will not accept an extension to the August 31 deadline.

“At this critical juncture in our withdrawal from Afghanistan, I urge you to use every available resource to secure the safe evacuation of every American citizen and Afghan partner,” Wicker said, citing the Biden administration’s vow to get any American who wants to return home back to the United States.

“Although this statement was encouraging, it is contradicted by your recommitment to an arbitrary withdrawal deadline of August 31,” Wicker said, asserting that “about 5,000 Americans” have been evacuated since August 14 and noting that thousands more — perhaps as many as 10,000 — remain stranded.

In this handout provided by the U.S. Air Force, an air crew assigned to the 816th Expeditionary Airlift Squadron assists evacuees aboard a C-17 Globemaster III aircraft in support of the Afghanistan evacuation at Hamid Karzai International Airport on August 21, 2021 in Kabul, Afghanistan. (Photo by Taylor Crul/U.S. Air Force via Getty Images)

“These Americans and our allies must be located, transported to the Kabul airport, and flown out of Afghanistan,” Wicker said, begging Biden to take action and discouraging him from allowing the Taliban to call the shots:

It is my understanding that the senior American military leadership on the ground in Afghanistan have strongly advised that such a military operation is in fact feasible and that they are only awaiting the go-ahead from their Commander-in-Chief. If this is the case, I urge you to allow our troops to do what they are trained to do. Failure should not be an option.

Like many Americans, I urge you not to allow the Taliban to set the timetable for evacuations. The United States should not answer to terrorists, and it is deeply troubling that the terms of U.S. evacuations are being set by the Taliban.

“The sacred oaths that you and I have sworn demand that we do everything in our power to protect these American citizens and friends who are in harm’s way,” the Mississippi Republican continued.

“Taliban-imposed deadlines should be irrelevant,” he continued. “I implore you to use all means necessary — including military force outside the Kabul airport — to ensure these persons are brought out safely”:

There are already reports, however, that the U.S. military has begun withdrawing from Afghanistan, reducing troop presence following Biden’s decision to succumb to the Taliban’s demand:

Biden is expected to address the Afghanistan crisis at 4:30 p.m. Eastern.