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The Biden administration is sending 3,000 additional troops to the Kabul airport to assist with a partial evacuation of the US Embassy, just weeks before the US is set to conclude its war in Afghanistan. The action underlines the Taliban’s astonishing speed in seizing control of most of the country, including Kandahar, the country’s second-largest city and the cradle of the Taliban movement.
The embassy will continue to operate, according to the State Department, but the abrupt decision to bring in thousands of additional US troops on Thursday reflects decreasing confidence in the Afghan government’s capacity to fend off the Taliban onslaught. The declaration came just hours after the Taliban took control of Herat, an important provincial capital south of Kabul, and Ghazni, a western city. The progress, along with the partial evacuation of the US Embassy, is isolating the nation’s capital, which is home to millions of Afghans.
“This isn’t a case of abandonment. This isn’t a mandatory evacuation. “This is not a mass exodus,” said State Department spokesperson Ned Price. “What this amounts to is a diminution in our civilian footprint.”
Price dismissed the notion that Thursday’s actions conveyed positive or demoralising signals to an already strengthened Taliban or frightened Afghan people. Price insisted, “The message we are delivering to the people of Afghanistan is one of enduring partnership.”
Despite the Taliban sweep, President Joe Biden has remained adamant about terminating the 19-year US mission in Afghanistan at the end of this month. He spoke with senior national security officials overnight before issuing the order for the extra temporary troops Thursday morning.
On Thursday, State Secretary Antony Blinken and Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin met with Afghan President Ashraf Ghani. The US also warned Taliban officials that if the Taliban attacked Americans during the temporary military deployments, the US would respond.
The British Ministry of Defense announced on Thursday that it will send 600 troops to Afghanistan on a temporary basis to assist British nationals fleeing the country. A source familiar with the operation told The Associated Press that Canadian special troops will deploy to Afghanistan to assist Canadian personnel leaving Kabul. That individual, who requested anonymity because he was not authorised to speak publicly about the topic, did not disclose how many special forces would be dispatched.
In addition to sending three infantry battalions to the airport — two from the Marine Corps and one from the Army — the Pentagon will send 3,500 to 4,000 troops from an 82nd Airborne Division battle brigade to Kuwait as a reserve force, according to the Pentagon’s chief spokesman, John Kirby. He claimed they’ll be ready “in case we need even more” than the 3,000 who’ll be heading to Kabul.
