Afghanistan: US sending troops to Kabul airport
“This is a temporary mission with a specific focus,” Kirby said, adding that the decision was “prudent given the rapidly deteriorating security situation in and around Kabul.”
As the security situation in Afghanistan worsens, the US will send thousands of troops to Kabul airport to assist with the embassy personnel drawdown.
“In light of the changing security situation in Kabul, we are further limiting our civilian footprint. In the next weeks, we intend to reduce our diplomatic presence in Afghanistan to a core,” State Department spokesman Ned Price told reporters in a regular briefing.
“The Department of Defense will temporarily send more personnel at Hamid Karzai international airport to support this reduction,” he added.
He stated that the embassy is still open and that the US intends to continue diplomatic relations with the country. The embassy had earlier in the day advised Americans to leave the country immediately.
Secretary of State Antony Blinken and Pentagon chief Lloyd Austin spoke with Afghan President Mohammad Ashraf Ghani earlier in the day to coordinate the strategy. Three infantry battalions, totaling around 3,000 troops, would be sent to Kabul airport within 24 to 48 hours, according to Pentagon Press Secretary John Kirby.
In addition, a joint US Army and Air Force support team of roughly 1,000 people will be dispatched to Qatar to expedite the processing of Afghan applicants for Special Immigrant Visas (SIV). In the event that extra forces are required, an infantry brigade combat team will deploy in Kuwait next week.
“This is a temporary mission with a specific focus,” Kirby said, adding that the decision was “prudent given the rapidly deteriorating security situation in and around Kabul.”
According to accounts in the media, the United States now has roughly 650 troops in the country and about 1,400 workers in the embassy.
As Taliban terrorists made quick military advances across the country, the notification of embassy personnel reductions and military reinforcements came.
Ghazni city, the capital of eastern Ghazni province, was captured by the insurgent group earlier on Thursday, increasing the total number of provincial capitals captured by the insurgent group to ten in less than a week.
Since the withdrawal of US-led troops on May 1, the situation in the war-torn country has gotten worse. In recent weeks, major clashes and street combat between Afghan forces and Taliban terrorists have erupted in many Afghan cities and about half of the country’s 34 provinces.
By the end of this month, President Joe Biden has ordered the US forces to leave Afghanistan.
On Tuesday, he stated that the US would continue to assist Afghanistan with air support and military weapons, but that Afghan soldiers must “fight for themselves, fight for their country.”
“We will continue to honor our commitment. “However, I have no regrets about my decision,” he stated.
