Marine vanguard lands in Kabul as US speeds up evacuations

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WASHINGTON – The archetypal forces of a Marine battalion arrived successful Kabul astatine week's extremity to basal defender arsenic the U.S. speeds up evacuation flights for immoderate American diplomats and thousands of Afghans, spurred by a lightning Taliban violative that progressively is isolating Afghanistan's capital.

Pentagon spokesperson John Kirby said “elements” of a battalion were present successful Kabul, the vanguard of 3 Marine and Army battalions that the U.S. was sending to the metropolis by the extremity of the play to assistance much Americans and their Afghan colleagues get retired quickly.

The Taliban, emboldened by the imminent extremity of the U.S. combat ngo successful the country, took 4 much provincial capitals Friday, heightening fears they would determination soon connected the capital, which is location to millions of Afghans. “Clearly from their actions, it appears arsenic if they are trying to get Kabul isolated,” Kirby noted astatine a Pentagon briefing.

The Pentagon besides was moving an further 4,500 to 5,000 troops to bases successful the Gulf countries of Qatar and Kuwait, including 1,000 to Qatar to velocity up visa processing for Afghan translators and others who fearfulness retribution from the Taliban for their past enactment with Americans, and their household members.

The remainder — 3,500 to 4,000 troops from a combat brigade of the 82nd Airborne Division — were bound for Kuwait. Kirby said the combat troops would beryllium a reserve unit connected standby “in lawsuit we request adjacent more” than the 3,000 going to Kabul.

The impermanent buildup of troops for U.S. evacuations highlights the stunning gait of the Taliban takeover of overmuch of the country, little than 3 weeks earlier the U.S. is acceptable to officially extremity astir 20 years of combat successful Afghanistan.

President Joe Biden has remained adamant astir ending the U.S. ngo connected Aug. 31, insisting the American and NATO ngo that launched connected Oct. 7, 2001, has done what it could to physique up a Kabul-based Afghan authorities and subject that could withstand the Taliban erstwhile Western troops yet withdrew.

Friday's latest important stroke was the Taliban seizure of the superior of Helmand province, wherever American, British and different allied NATO forces fought immoderate of the bloodiest battles successful the past 20 years. Hundreds of Western troops died determination during the people of the war, successful warring that often succeeded successful knocking backmost Taliban fighters locally, lone to person the Taliban determination backmost successful erstwhile a Western portion rotated out.

The State Department said the embassy successful Kabul volition stay partially staffed and functioning, but Thursday's determination to evacuate a important fig of embassy unit and bring successful the thousands of further U.S. troops is simply a motion of waning assurance successful the Afghan government's quality to clasp disconnected the Taliban surge. The Biden medication has not ruled retired a afloat embassy evacuation.

The U.S. had already withdrawn astir of its troops, but had kept astir 650 troops successful Afghanistan to enactment U.S. diplomatic security, including astatine the airport.

The Biden medication warned Taliban officials straight that the U.S. would respond if the Taliban attacked Americans during the stepped-up deployments and evacuations.

Americans are preparing a subject basal overseas to person and location ample numbers of those Afghan translators and others arsenic their visa applications are processed. The Biden medication has not identified the base, but earlier was talking with some Kuwait and Qatar astir utilizing U.S. bases determination for the impermanent relocations.

As of Thursday, the U.S. had flown 1,200 Afghans — erstwhile American employees and their families whose visas are farthest on successful the support process — to Fort Lee, Virginia.

State Department spokesperson Ned Price said the U.S. soon volition person evacuation planes flying retired daily, for those Afghan translators and others who negociate to scope the Kabul airdrome contempt the fighting.

The fig of Afghans flown retired nether the peculiar visa programme is going to ”grow precise rapidly successful the coming days,” Price said Thursday.

The viability of the U.S.-trained Afghan service was looking progressively dim. A caller subject appraisal says Kabul could travel nether Taliban unit arsenic soon arsenic September and, if existent trends hold, the state could autumn to the Taliban wrong a fewer months.

Shortly earlier Price's announcement of the evacuation of immoderate embassy staff, the embassy urged U.S. citizens to permission instantly — reiterating a informing it archetypal issued Saturday.

The latest drawdown volition further bounds the quality of the embassy to behaviour business, though Price maintained it would inactive beryllium capable to function. Nonessential idiosyncratic had already been withdrawn from the embassy successful April aft Biden’s withdrawal announcement that aforesaid month, and it was not instantly wide however galore staffers would stay connected the heavy fortified compound. As of Thursday, determination were astir 4,200 staffers astatine the embassy, but astir of those are Afghan nationals, according to the State Department.

Apart from a implicit evacuation and shuttering of the embassy, Price said different contingency plans were being weighed, including perchance relocating its operations to the airport.

Britain besides was sending 600 troops to Afghanistan connected a short-term ground to assistance its nationals permission the country.

Canada was sending peculiar forces to assistance Canadian unit permission Kabul, a root acquainted with the program told The Associated Press. That official, who was not authorized to speech publically astir the substance and spoke connected information of anonymity, did not accidental however galore peculiar forces would beryllium sent.

Associated Press writer Rob Gillies successful Toronto contributed to this report.

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