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The United States-in the next 48 hours-will expand its security presence to nearly 6,000 soldiers.
The Pentagon authorized another 1,000 soldiers to help evacuate American citizens and Afghans working for them from Kabul, because the U.S. government said it would assume air traffic control to facilitate the evacuation of thousands of Americans.
A joint statement issued by the U.S. State Department and the Pentagon after the Taliban insurgents entered the Afghan capital confirmed that in the next 48 hours, the U.S. will “expand our security presence to nearly 6,000 soldiers, and its mission is to focus solely on facilitating these efforts. And will take over air traffic control.”
The statement said that it is working to ensure the safety of the Hamid Karzai International Airport in Kabul, “so that U.S. and allied personnel can leave Afghanistan safely through civilian and military flights.”
It added that the United States “will transfer thousands of American citizens out of the country” and others, adding that the government will “accelerate the evacuation of thousands of Afghans who are eligible for special immigration visas for the United States”.
Afghan President Ashraf Ghani confirmed that he has left the country, but it is unclear how power will be transferred after Afghanistan swept through Afghanistan twenty years after the Taliban was overthrown by the US-led army.
Residents reported that Kabul Airport was the main place for evacuation in Afghanistan, and there were sporadic gunshots nearby.
“There are reports of a fire at the airport; therefore we instructed American citizens to take refuge on the spot,” the U.S. Embassy said in a security alert.
Two sources familiar with the situation at the airport could not confirm the report of the fire there.
A State Department official told Reuters on Sunday evening that almost all embassy personnel have been relocated to a facility at Kabul Airport and the American flag has been lowered from the embassy compound.
Sources told Reuters that most American employees are expected to be evacuated from Kabul within the next one or two days.
NATO member France and Germany said on Sunday that they are transferring diplomats to the airport and sending military transport planes to Kabul to evacuate their citizens and Afghan helpers.
‘Not Saigon’
When asked if the evacuation is reminiscent of the U.S. withdrawal from Vietnam in 1975, Secretary of State Anthony Brinken said earlier Sunday: “Let’s take a step back. This is obviously not Saigon.”
An intelligence assessment by the United States earlier this week stated that Kabul may be surrounded within 30 days and may fall into the hands of the Taliban within 90 days, but the insurgents occupied most of Afghanistan’s major cities in less than a week. And entered the capital on Sunday.
Approximately 4,200 people remained in the U.S. Embassy until Thursday, when the rapid rise of the Taliban forced President Joe Biden’s government to begin sending thousands of soldiers to help withdraw many of the remaining diplomats.
The deployment includes another 1,000 soldiers from the 82nd Airborne Division, and Biden said on Saturday that they will help evacuate citizens and ensure the “orderly and safe” drawdown of US military personnel.
On Sunday, US officials said they are weighing whether they need more troops. Another 3,000 people are on standby in Kuwait.
Brinken told CNN that Washington has invested billions of dollars in the four U.S. governments of the Afghan government forces, giving them an advantage over the Taliban, but they cannot defend the country in the face of attacks by militants.
Blinken said that the initial mission of the United States in Afghanistan was to expel Al-Qaida leader Osama bin Laden after the September 11, 2001 attack. The mission has been completed, and that Washington has prevented the Taliban from taking further steps. Assault.
But Biden faced increasing domestic criticism after insisting on the withdrawal plan, which was agreed to by his Republican predecessor Donald Trump. On Saturday, Biden defended his decision, stating that “the endless presence of the United States in another country’s civil war is unacceptable to me.”
Republican Congressman Michael McCall said that the takeover of the Taliban will put the United States under threat again.
“We will return to the state before 9/11. The breeding ground of terrorism,” he told CNN on Sunday.
A White House official said that Biden met with his national security team through a security video conference during the Camp David President’s retreat on Sunday to hear the latest news about the evacuation and security situation.
Democratic Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer said at a press conference: “The first task is to bring us back. First, all American personnel… But second, all brave Afghans who help our military must Let them leave and come to America.”
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