US sends troops to Kabul to evacuate some embassy staff
[Washington Post]
By ROBERT BURNS, MATTHEW LEE and ELLEN KNICKMEYER
Associated Press
WASHINGTON (AP) – The U.S. is sending an additional 3,000 troops to Afghanistan to assist in the evacuation of some personnel from the U.S. Embassy in Kabul. Pentagon spokesman John Kirby said Thursday the Army and Marine forces will enter Afghanistan within the next two days to assist at the Kabul airport with the partial embassy evacuation. The decision to reduce staffing levels at the embassy was announced by State Department spokesman Ned Price, who said diplomatic work will continue at the embassy. The move suggests a lack of confidence by the Biden administration in the Afghan government’s ability to provide sufficient diplomatic security in Kabul as a series of provincial capitals fall to a Taliban offensive this week.
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8/12/2021 2:20:13 PM (GMT -5:00)