- On Friday, marines from the United States started arriving in Kabul to assist with the evacuation of embassy personnel as the Taliban assault continued its advance throughout Afghanistan.
- The battalions are anticipated to be operational by the end of this weekend and should be capable of evacuating several thousand people each day, including Americans and Afghans.
- In recent days, militants seized two of the country’s biggest cities, and a Pentagon official said they seem to be attempting to isolate Kabul before attacking it.
The Pentagon said Friday that American Marines have initiated its arrival in Kabul to assist with securing the evacuation of embassy personnel as the Taliban assault sweeps across Afghanistan.
In the last day alone, militants have taken control of two of the country’s biggest cities, and they seem to be attempting to isolate Kabul prior to beginning an assault there, according to Defense Department spokesperson John Kirby.
As a result of the deteriorating security situation, two Marine battalions and an Army battalion began arriving on Friday in the capital city to help the State Department, John Kirby informed reporters at a Pentagon news conference in Washington DC.
The battalions are anticipated to be operational by this weekend and will evacuate several thousand people each day, including Americans and Afghans.
The State Department, meanwhile, has directed workers in Kabul to begin removing sensitive property, such as embassy emblems and the American flag.
According to a State Department spokeswoman, giving burn bins to employees for document destruction was the normal operational practice during a drawdown.
Taliban insurgents have taken control of Kandahar, which is Afghanistan’s second-biggest city, as well as Herat, NBC News said Friday, citing a Taliban spokesperson and local Afghan authorities.
Almost 50 percent of Afghanistan’s 34 provincial capitals have been captured, giving the insurgents control of approximately two-thirds of the country and surrounding Kabul, where the US Embassy is working to evacuate its staff.
Kirby maintained that the US military had not been taken aback by the Taliban’s rapid advances, but that it remained concerned about the rate of military victories.
He observed that Afghanistan’s army is more trained and well-equipped than the Taliban on the frontlines, owing to decades of US training and expenditure on American Weaponry worth billions of dollars.
President Joe Biden, who stated in April that all US soldiers in the area would be removed by Sept. 11, authorized on Thursday the temporary deployment of 3,000 troops to the city to assist with the evacuation of diplomatic staff. Within twenty-four to forty-eight hours, soldiers are anticipated to arrive.
The security forces of the Afghan government have collapsed, and tens of thousands of people have left their homes in the face of the Taliban’s unexpectedly rapid march into the country’s power center.
However, the White House said that Biden stands with his decision to withdraw the US military from Afghanistan after almost two decades of conflict in the aftermath of the terrorist attack of 9/11.
Jen Psaki said that the President is intent on ensuring an orderly drawdown while protecting our women and men serving in Afghanistan. He further said that he has no regrets about his choice.
Along with the deployment of 3 battalions from the Army and Marines to Kabul, the United States will maintain a backup infantry brigade in Kuwait.
Furthermore, another 1,000-strong Army and Air Force units will be deployed to Qatar to assist in the processing of special immigrant permits for Afghan nationals who aided US and NATO forces during the conflict.
Nonetheless, on Thursday, John Kirby, the Pentagon spokesman, said Thursday that the US is committed to withdrawing all soldiers completely by the end of August.
On Thursday, Britain said that it would deploy about 600 soldiers to assist its people in departing Afghanistan, where over 4,000 British citizens are estimated to be stationed. Additionally, Canada is sending special troops to the nation to evacuate personnel from Kabul’s Canadian embassy.
