The USA will temporarily relocate around 3,000 additional soldiers to Afghanistan in order to strengthen security at Kabul Airport. It is about supporting the reduction of the US embassy staff, said the spokesman for the US Department of Defense, John Kirby, on Thursday. This could also include securing convoys to and from the airport, he said. The troops could also assist the State Department in evacuating former Afghan US military personnel.
The temporary reinforcement is a precautionary measure given the recent advance of the militant Islamist Taliban in parts of Afghanistan, said Kirby. The reinforcement was “appropriate” in view of the rapidly deteriorating security situation, he said.
Herat fell after weeks of fighting
A few hours earlier, Herat, the third largest city in Afghanistan, fell to the militant Islamist Taliban. The most important government institutions in Herat in the west of the country are in the hands of the Islamists, three local officials from the German Press Agency confirmed on Thursday. The strategic city of Gasni in the southeast fell only on Thursday morning (local time). The second largest city, Kandahar, is also fiercely contested.
The US military actually wants to leave the country by the end of August. This is still the plan, emphasized Kirby. Only a few hundred soldiers are supposed to stay behind after the withdrawal – mainly to protect the US embassy. In addition, there should be a fairly small US presence at the airport. US President Joe Biden ordered the withdrawal in the spring. At that time, around 2,500 US soldiers were still in the country. By the beginning of the week, however, the withdrawal was more than 95 percent complete, as the US military had declared. (SDA / vof)